Redemption
by Touchstone
Summary: Sequel to When the Time Comes. After being involved in a horrific accident Olivia is desperate to get justice no matter what the cost- but without the one person who has always been there for her, will she have the strength? COMPLETE! OE!
1. One

**This is the sequel to 'When the Time Comes' please read it first.**

A/N: This was going to be titled Forever Broken, but I found that a bit morbid and so changed it! I guess I got this story up faster than I thought I would! What can I say, I have had some free time since the horse show season ended, but that shouldn't last long since finals are starting next week! Anyways, this story is going to be a little bit depressing the first few chapters… so just hang in there! It may take a while to pick up steam, but I promise it will!

Disclaimer: I still don't own them. Working on it though.

Olivia was sound asleep on Elliot's lap. He rubbed her back gently, only half watching the news. As he watched her breathe slowly and steadily he felt a pang of guilt as his eyes trailed to her seven month belly. This pregnancy had been a hard one on her. When she wasn't at the doctors, she was home sleeping, and when she wasn't doing that she was trying to work way too hard for her own good. Elliot was extremely worried about her and thought about her constantly. He knew it was his fault that this had occurred. She had told him that night she had run out of the Pill, but he had insisted. And then, too make matters worse; he hadn't been very happy when he found out about the baby. He sighed and kissed her cheek tenderly. "I love you, Liv."

"Daddy?" came a small voice.

He turned and smiled in spite of himself. "Riley Justice Stabler what are you doing out of bed?"

"Not tired." Riley answered, walking over and climbing up beside him. "Is mom still sick?"

"Yes, I am afraid so."

"She will get better though, right?" Riley questioned, looking up at him with the same icy blue eyes as his own.

"Of course." Elliot answered, putting one arm around his daughter. Riley snuggled up against his side. Elliot loved all his children to pieces, but there was something very special about Riley. She was an angel child, well behaved and very bright, and already exhibiting signs of the kind, sensitive nature of her mother. Though Riley had her father's eyes, her porcelain skin, dark hair, and fine bone structure were all Olivia's. She was four now. A lot had changed in the past four years. Maureen had graduated college with a degree in psychology and was now looking into graduate school to become a forensic psychologist like Huang. Kathleen had just graduated high school and was enrolled in the Police Academy. Lizzie and Dickie were still living with their mother as they were only in middle school, and were constantly complaining about how irritating their new half brothers were. Kathy had married the doctor she had had an affair with and had had two children with him.

Pretty much the only things that hadn't changed were work and his feelings for Olivia. They were still a tremendously good partnership that got great results and were highly respected throughout the precinct. And he still loved Olivia more than anything else in the world, and she him.

He watched he hurry off to her bedroom and smiled. Suddenly he felt Olivia stir on his lap. She stretched and looked up at him with her gorgeous chocolate eyes. "How are you feeling?" Elliot questioned, laying a hand on her stomach.

"Not too bad." answered Olivia, obviously still exhausted. She glanced over and saw Riley sitting next to her father, looking at her worriedly. "Hey baby. How are you?"

Riley smiled and answered, "Good. Are you feeling better?"

"A little bit." answered Olivia, stroking her daughter's cheek. "You should be in bed. It's a school night."

"I know. Night. Love you." Riley said, kissing her forehead. Olivia smiled and watched as Riley stood and hugged her father's neck. Elliot kissed her and lifted her gently off the couch. Riley waved to him and then stumbled sleepily off to her bedroom.

"Come on, let's go too bed." Elliot said, gently taking Olivia in his arms and carrying her into their bedroom like he had done many times in the past few months.

He lay her down gently and then crawled in next to her, pulling the covers over them both. She had already fallen asleep. Elliot put his arms around her and dozed off.

He woke up the next morning and got ready for work, helping Riley get ready for preschool while he was at it. Olivia was still asleep and Elliot made the executive decision to tell Cragen she was too sick to come in that day. While Riley finished eating her pancakes Elliot padded over to their bedroom and knelt down beside Olivia. He felt her forehead, finding it to be a little bit warm. "Liv…" he said gently, and she opened her eyes. "I am going to go to work, but you just stay home and get some rest, okay?"

Olivia nodded and shut her eyes murmuring, "I love you Elliot."

"I love you too, sweetheart." He replied, kissing her gently. She kissed him back softly.

"Dad, you ready?" questioned Riley, sipping up her jacket and grabbing her backpack.

"Let's go, Riley." replied Elliot with a smile as he opened the door. Riley trotted out in front of him, eager as always to get going.

"Suburban?" questioned Riley hopefully as they walked outside. It was by far her favorite of the two cars, though Elliot didn't really know why. He supposed that it was because Olivia liked it, and Riley had picked up on it. Elliot liked the big SUV, but it definitely had surprised him when it was the car Olivia picked. He hadn't exactly pegged her as a Suburban driving person. Smilingly slightly he knew she would never cease to surprise him, and he liked it that way.

"Nope. The suburban is your mothers." He responded, picking Riley up and putting her in the car seat in the back of his Malibu.

After he dropped her off he headed down to the precinct.

Olivia slept until about noon, whereupon she decided she had to get up and do something productive. After she had showered and eaten a little, she put on her warm clothes and headed outside. As she climbed into the suburban she picked up her cell and called Elliot. "Hey El. It's me. I am going to stop by the courthouse and bring you by those papers you need for the Yeager case." She said as she started the ignition.

"Liv! You need to stay home! You are too sick to be out and about." Elliot scolded on the other end of the phone.

"I will be fine. See you in a half hour." She replied, hanging up.

Elliot sighed in frustration as he hung up his cell. "What's up?" questioned Munch as he sipped at coffee.

"Liv's coming by in a half hour with the papers we need. I told her to stay home. She is so sick. Honestly she has gotten so many infections over the past few months it's incredible. Her immune system is just failing her right now." Elliot said, trying to not show how upset he was.

"She'll pull through Elliot. Feisty, that one." Munch said with a laugh. Elliot smiled in agreement.

Olivia ran into Alex at the courthouse, finding her to be just leaving an arraignment. "Olivia! What are you doing up?" Alex exclaimed, running over to her.

Olivia raised her eyebrow and said, "I don't just sleep. I can actually do things."

"Yes, I know that. But you should still be taking it easy." Alex told her as they walked down the hall, "What do you need from the courthouse?"

"Those papers for the Yeager case." Olivia said.

"Right. Well, you just sit right here and I will run and get them." Alex said firmly, practically shoving her into the bench. When Alex returned with the papers she handed them over to Olivia. "Next time ask me if you need something, and I will do my best to go and get it."

"Alex…" Olivia began, but Alex shook her head.

"You must get better. Come on Olivia, you have two months left. Then you can go back to chasing perps and interrogating and all the fun stuff." Alex said with a smile.

"Thanks." Olivia answered as she came to her feet.

"So how many medications are you taking these days?" questioned Alex as they walked back out to her Suburban.

"I don't know. Like six?" answered Olivia, waving her hand dismissively, "Better than the ten I was taking. Why?"

"No reason. Just wondering how you were doing."

"Well better than I was. I don't understand what's wrong with me. I have had one child, and now it's like I am totally ruined goods."

"Olivia! Don't you even think that! God knows its difficult carrying a child, even without complications."

"Yes well… I still feel bad about it. Elliot's so worried about me, and I just think that these problems are my fault."

"No they aren't. I miscarried twice. Was that my fault?" questioned Alex, looking at her sternly.

"Of course not!" exclaimed Olivia, flushing slightly.

"That's right. And this isn't your fault either. Remember that, okay?"

"I will."

"Drive safe." Alex told her as Olivia climbed up into the SUV.

"Of course. See you later Alex."

Alex bit her lip as she watched Olivia leave. She had really an awful feeling about this whole situation. Ever since the doctors had recommended an abortion Olivia had been even more determined to prove herself. Alex was very concerned she was taking this as a personal mission, and in doing so, would take it as a personal failure if something happened.

Olivia changed lanes and thought about what Alex had said. Everyone was so worried about her. Honestly, she wasn't even forty yet, why did she have to be having all these problems? Sure, this pregnancy hadn't exactly been planned, as she and Elliot had only intended on one child. _Still_, she thought as she braked for the red light.

When the light turned green she immediately accelerated. As she reached the middle of the intersection, loud honking made her glance to her left and saw a red truck coming to the cross street way too fast. He didn't stop for the light. Her eyes widened and in a blinding flash she knew the dire reality of the situation.

The sickening crunch of metal on metal seemed to be in slow motion as the truck slammed into her driver's side door. The suburban spun out to the side, smashing into the car next to it. Then all was quite still. Olivia felt a ripping pain tear through her and she took a wavering breath. That didn't help and she bent forward, her hands clutching her stomach. Tears streamed down her face as another sharp pain streaked through her. Desperately she tried to keep her eyes open, but it was too difficult. Fragments of metal lay all around her and she felt blood running down her arms and legs. She fumbled with her seatbelt and unbuckled it. Reaching for the door handle she jerked on it. It didn't budge and the effort made her exhausted. She could feel life draining out of her and she stopped fighting. Instantly she slipped into a sleep.

Loud noises awoke her. A pair of hands gripped her from the side and she screamed. "It's okay baby. You're going to be fine." came a gentle voice. She opened her eyes and found herself being carried from the suburban by two paramedics. They lowered her onto a stretcher and she felt her lungs seize up. A ragged breath escaped her and she felt an oxygen mask being pressed to her face. "You hold on okay? You just hold on." said the one paramedic, stroking her forehead with one hand and holding the mask on with the other. She nodded, though her vision was getting blurry. "Oh no honey, don't you quit on me!" he exclaimed, shaking her shoulder gently. "Don't you quit! I am losing her!" he screamed to his colleague, who came sprinting over. "Don't you dare die on me! Come on honey, keep fighting!"

Elliot looked at his watch. "She should be here." He said, throwing down his pen and standing.

Fin looked over at him and asked, "What is it?"

"Olivia should have been here a half hour ago." Elliot said, pulling on his coat.

"Maybe she's stuck in traffic?" Fin offered, but looked skeptical.

Elliot shook his head. Then his phone rang. Munch and Fin both watched as he picked it up, "Stabler."

Fin watched as Elliot's face paled and his eyes widened.

Elliot just about dropped the phone as he hung up. "I have to go! She was in a car accident." He told Munch and Fin, sprinting out the doors.

It wasn't as though the hospital was an unfamiliar place to him these days, so he found his way in quite easily. He ran up to the nurse's station and said, "I am Elliot Stabler. My wife's in surgery… car accident."

The nurse gave him a pitying look and said, "Yes, Olivia Stabler. She is getting a c section right now. I will let you know as soon as she is out of surgery. They have her in stable condition, so that's comforting. She had a close call with the paramedics."

Elliot waited anxiously and attempted to keep from crying. After he had been there for less than an hour he heard his name called. "Detective Stabler?" He looked up and saw two cops standing there, along with a Detective from homicide. "There's something you need to see."

"Why? My wife was in a car accident for God's sake." Elliot exclaimed.

"Detective Stabler, it wasn't an accident. They hit her on purpose."

Elliot's jaw dropped and he leapt to his feet violently. He started to shout something in response but a doctor suddenly sprinted over to him. "Mr. Stabler! Thank goodness I found you! Your wife is almost through surgery. However, Doctor Swanson told to come out and warn you."

"Warn me?"

"We have to perform a hysterectomy. She has sustained too much trauma in that region, and it's the only safe thing to do." the doctor said, looking at him in sorrow.

They made their way down to the scene, and Elliot had to work very hard to keep his composure. A small black Mercedes was sitting off to the side, the front end crushed in. The Suburban's driver's side was utterly destroyed. The red truck that had smashed into it was off to the side slightly, as they had had to pull the cars apart to get to Olivia. Elliot glanced over by the open drivers door and saw blood all over the seat, dashboard, and smeared over the steering wheel and windows. She had lost a great deal. Elliot turned away, unable to stop a tear from falling down his cheek.

"When we first got here, a witness said that the truck was weaving in and out of traffic and ran the red light. We had our analysts figure it out and they found he was going at least 70." said one of the cops after a moment, walking around the backside of the red truck. Elliot followed him to the driver's side. A particularly pernicious looking shard of metal was slathered in blood and was laying on the ground just outside the door. "The driver of this car pulled that out of him and tried to grab these. But he was too badly injured." The cop said, and handed Elliot some latex gloves before a manila folder. Elliot glanced at the folder with all sorts of bloodstains on it; the driver had obviously groped desperately for it. "Those are how we know it wasn't an accident." The cop told him.

Elliot barely stifled a gasp. He had never seen so many pictures of Olivia. There were ones from every one of her newspaper appearances and tons more of her that were taken using the zoom feature. He noticed that she was the only one in every photo- except one. Elliot examined it, seeing it was a picture of him and Olivia bringing in a suspect. Someone had been stalking her.

"And there is something else you should see, Detective." said the other cop gently.

Elliot followed them over to the sidewalk. A body was covered in a white sheet, blood already seeping through it. The cop pulled it back, revealing the body of a young man. He had been stabbed multiple times but was gripping something in his hands. Elliot's eyes then trailed to the badge clipped to his belt. "A firefighter." sighed Elliot.

"Witnesses say this guy saw the perp get out of the truck and then got out of his car and ran after him. They said he was screaming at him that he had hit her on purpose. They wrestled and… well you see what happened." The detective said.

"What's he got in his hand?" questioned Elliot.

"I don't know." answered the detective, leaning closer.

Elliot knelt down and gently pried it from his fingers. Another picture. This time it was of Riley.

"Who's that?" questioned the Detective, taking the picture from him.

"My daughter." exclaimed Elliot, immediately picking up his phone. "Casey! It's Elliot. Could you pick up Riley from school right away? Olivia's been in a car crash."

"Detective?" came a questioning voice. As Elliot hung up the phone he glanced over and saw a man standing a little off to the side. Elliot could tell from the burns on his arms that he had been in the Mercedes. "I just wanted to talk to you."

"Sure. You were in the other car?"

"Yes. I am okay though, the airbags went off right away." said the man, indicating to his arms. "It wasn't her fault. I could see that truck coming and it happened so fast. And he hit her so hard I knew that I was going to be hit as well."

"I am sorry." Elliot told him, and the man shook his head.

"I am more worried about the lady. I watched them take her out of the suburban. But what I wanted to tell you was that I got out of my car as fast as I could and I saw that firefighter go running after the guy who hit her. He was limping really badly. Bleeding all over the place, but he had that picture in his hands. Seemed desperate to keep it, that's why he attacked the firefighter. I couldn't get over fast enough to help." The man said, biting his lip as his eyes threatened to water.

"You did what you could."

"Yes. I am sorry they didn't catch the guy though."

"Oh, we will." answered Elliot fiercely. "Hold on one second." Elliot reached for his ringing phone and picked it up.

"Mr. Stabler, your wife is out of surgery, she has been begging for you." said the familiar voice of Doctor Swanson. "And your son is in ICU. You might want to come see him."

Doctor Swanson clicked the phone back onto its receiver. He walked over to the window that showed the newborn ICU. Little baby Stabler lay quite still. He was tiny, being only seven months, and he hadn't woken up yet. Doctor Swanson doubted he ever would. It wasn't often he got overly emotional about his patients, after all, you saw it all being a ER doctor in Manhattan, but this case tore him apart. When he had gotten the call from the Homicide Detective saying that Olivia had been struck on purpose, he couldn't believe it. She did not deserve this. The son of a bitch had ruined her life. This baby would unquestionably be her last. And he was hurt so badly that if he lived another couple hours it would be a miracle. Doctor Swanson clenched his fists, staring at the little boy whose life was taken from him before it had begun. His beeper suddenly went off, startling him out of his thoughts. It was flashing and bleeping in emergency mode. He was surprised and took a closer look. Room 342. He glanced down the hall, and sure enough, the light outside it was blinking. That was Olivia's room. "Oh my god. She was in stable condition!" Doctor Swanson exclaimed aloud, sprinting down the hall. He swung open her door and stopped dead. "Oh my God."


	2. Two

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews so far!! I love getting the feedback! It makes my day when I get one of those 'Review Alert!' e-mails! Anyways, enjoy! I finished this chapter up when I was supposed to be studying for finals… well, I guess I had better get back to that!

Disclaimer: Well, I still do not own them. Are you surprised?

Elliot hurried back to the hospital, running a few red lights and cutting several people off in the process. Doctor Swanson met him almost as soon as he had walked into the ICU. "Elliot…" he began slowly, "Your wife had a bad reaction to the anesthesia. She found out from one of the nurses that it was a vehicular homicide attempt, and she lost it. They had to give her a sedative, and for some reason she went into cardiac arrest. I think it was all the drugs combined with stress. We revived her, but she's in a drug induced coma right now."

"She's in a coma?" exclaimed Elliot, his eyes widening.

"Yes. We can wake her up, though. But for the moment, she is better off. I am prescribing some ongoing sedatives, so by this evening she should be calm enough to wake up and not do any harm to herself from stressing out again." Doctor Swanson said, "I am sorry, Elliot. She is a sweetheart though, even for someone having such an adverse reaction. Before she fell asleep she asked me to tell you that she was sorry… and not to blame yourself, because this is all her fault. She passed out after that, I didn't have time to argue and tell her it wasn't." Elliot bit his lip and took a deep breath. He put his hands over his face briefly and rubbed his eyes. Doctor Swanson looked away and then said softly, "Come with me."

Elliot followed Doctor Swanson into the newborn ICU room and over to a small little crib in the corner. "This is your son. He hasn't woken up since the surgery." He said, dropping the side rail. Elliot stepped towards him and reached in, running a hand down the little baby's cheek. He adjusted the blanket that was wrapped tightly around him and the baby suddenly kicked slightly. "Well that's the most movement he has made so far!" Doctor Swanson commented, looking quite surprised. Elliot didn't respond and just stroked the baby's face.

"So… what's the prognosis for him?" Elliot asked hesitantly, his eyes not leaving his son's face.

Doctor Swanson sighed and said softly, "About ten percent chance he will live through the night."

Elliot felt a horrible pain rip through him, an exquisitely poignant feeling of loss and his inability to do anything. He looked down, tears dropping slowly down his face. A light touch made him slowly look up. His son was gazing at him with wide brown eyes and stretching his little hand upward. Elliot heard Doctor Swanson gasp behind him and summon the neo-natal nurse. He held out his hand and the baby grasped his finger. Elliot smiled at the small baby through his tears. The baby held tightly to his father's finger as he relaxed his arm back to his chest. The nurse had hurried over and was staring at Elliot. Then she suddenly asked, "Do you want to hold him?"

"Are you sure? I don't want to hurt him."

"Nothing that you could do would hurt him. I think he would like to be held just once before…" she trailed off and then slowly scooped up the little boy. She eased him into Elliot's arms. Elliot gently cradled him in the crook of his arm, and the baby glanced up at him one last time. And then he yawned widely and closed his eyes. He turned slightly so that he was snuggled right against Elliot's chest and his breathing slowed. The nurse rested her hand on Elliot's back when the baby was still. Elliot gently laid his son back on his crib, pulling the blanket back over him. The nurse checked for a pulse and then pulled the sheet up over his face. "I am sorry Detective. He suffered massive head trauma. There wasn't anything anyone could have done."

Elliot slowly walked out of the room, his breathing quite unsteady. Doctor Swanson gently took his arm and said, "Let's go see your wife."

When Elliot walked into Olivia's room he found her laying on her back in a deep sleep. She had a couple bruises on her face and burns on her arms from airbags but he still thought she looked incredibly beautiful. An IV ran in one arm and the other had a bandage wrapped around it. He also noticed she was wearing scrubs. When he commented on this to Doctor Swanson, the doctor laughed and said, "I remembered from the last time she was in here that she hated hospital gowns. I thought navy blue scrubs fit her better!"

Doctor Swanson excused himself, leaving Elliot alone. He grabbed a chair and pulled it up to sit next to Olivia. He took her hand and kissed it. "Olivia… you will never know how bad I feel about what I said to you that night. I would have loved our son. You know that right? And I am going to find the guy that did this. He is going to be tried for the murder of our son and your attempted murder, you can count on it." Olivia, of course, lay quietly and didn't respond. Though Elliot could have sworn she squeezed his hand back.

"Elliot?" He turned and saw Casey standing in the doorway, holding Riley's hand. "I am so sorry!" she exclaimed, hurrying in. Elliot stood and she gave him a hug. Riley pulled away from Casey and walked over to her mother. She glanced over her and then stroked her arm tenderly. As Elliot and Casey broke their embrace, they watched as Riley leaned over and stretched her arm out, running it gently across Olivia's stomach. She then turned back to her father and asked, "Where is her bump? Did she have the baby already?"

"Yes, sweetie. She had it, but he didn't make it." Elliot told her, taking her into his arms. Riley started crying and held onto her father tightly. He hugged her back, running his hand through her thick brown hair. Casey couldn't stop from crying at that point and quickly excused herself.

She came back in after regaining her composure and Elliot said, "Thanks so much for watching Riley."

"No problem. I love this kid." said Casey, finally cracking a smile. Elliot smirked back at her, knowing exactly why she loved Riley. She had taken her to her two year old check up because he and Olivia were dealing with a huge case and had started dating Riley's pediatrician. They were going on two years strong. After a while, Casey took Riley back to her apartment to get some sleep.

Elliot dozed off for a couple hours in the chair until Doctor Swanson reappeared. He began to adjust her IV and then gave her a quick injection. "She should be waking up here within in the next half hour. Now, she isn't going to be acting normally, because she is still very drugged up. Probably it will seem like she is sluggish and lacking emotion." he told Elliot as he walked over to him. "Don't say anything to get her upset, alright? You can tell her about your baby, but nothing about the investigation so far."

"Okay. Is she in a lot of pain?" Elliot questioned, glancing over at her.

"No, not a lot. She's been on heavy painkillers since the surgery." answered Doctor Swanson, looking at Olivia, who was already beginning to shift a little bit in her bed.

Olivia could feel her deep sleep begin to slip away. She knew Elliot was there, she had heard him talking to her. She couldn't remember what he had said, but had taken great comfort in knowing that he was beside her. He had left once, and come back not long after, very upset. Now she was more aware of her surroundings and could feel him holding her hand. Olivia took a deep breath and then yawned. He squeezed her hand reassuringly. She returned it, rubbing her thumb gently back and forth against his wrist.

Elliot smiled despite everything when she did this, putting his other hand over top. Five minutes later, she opened her eyes and looked right over at him. "Hi, Liv." he said, his face still lit up in a smile. She smiled back. "Hey El." He stood and traced his hand across her face. She placed hers over his and held it to her cheek. Elliot leaned forward and kissed her forehead. Olivia was watching him intently when he pulled away. "El… what's wrong?" she questioned, reaching up and brushing a tear from his cheek. He didn't answer, and she then grew somber. "Our baby didn't make it, did he?"

Elliot shook his head, "No… he didn't." Olivia shut her eyes and put her hands over her face, crying quietly. Elliot watched and laid his hands on her shoulders, as he could find nothing comforting to say.

Olivia spent the next month in the hospital, leaving only twice. The first time was for the funeral of the firefighter who had died trying to catch the man who had nearly killed her. She felt terribly, after all, she was the cop and was supposed to protect him, not the other way around. She and Elliot had both gone to the funeral in full uniform and she was immediately sought out by the FDNY Commissioner. He gave her a hug and told her it wasn't her fault, but she knew it was. Elliot laid a comforting hand on her shoulder as she observed the fireman's two little children go up to his coffin to say goodbye. Olivia gulped back a sob and leaned her head against Elliot's shoulder, gripping his hand tightly.

The second time she left was for the funeral of her son.

Elliot sighed, leaning up against the wall of the interrogation room. Three weeks after his son had been buried they had received an anonymous tip and collared the man they suspected in the murder. Munch looked over at him and then turned back to the perp, "So… after you received all the photo's, what did you do next?"

The man stretched back in his chair. A smile crossed his face as he began, "I found out where she lived and what car she drove. I followed her to the courthouse that morning, and then I took a few side streets. I knew she was going back to the precinct, and so I knew where I could get her."

"Why did you decide to try vehicular homicide? You have a gun."

"Well, he told me to wait until she was seven months pregnant, and then strike her on the driver's side. That way, the odds were she would live but the baby wouldn't. He doesn't want her hurt physically. Emotionally, though. And so I did what he told me. Worked like a charm didn't it?" the perp said, smiling broadly at Elliot.

That was it. Elliot lunged forward and punched him in the face. Munch jumped up and attempted to restrain Elliot as he yelled, "Who is this 'he'?"

The man on the floor winced and spat, "I am never going to tell you."

Munch gave Elliot a good shove and glared at him. Then he turned back to the perp, yanked him to his feet and threw him into the chair. "Alright, buddy. You realize you are going to get a needle for the murder of a FDNY fireman and an innocent baby, correct? So I would recommend giving up whoever you are holding out for."

"I could care less. Honestly. The wait on death row is years." The man said, and Elliot hissed angrily.

"Fine. But tell me one thing. Why did you have a picture of her daughter?" Elliot questioned, glaring at the man.

The perp looked at him and then laughed, "Detective Stabler, I know it's your daughter as well. Believe me, I know all about how you married your partner. Though I can't say I blame you, for she is quite beautiful. But she is high-strung and fiery, needs a definite breaking. Which I assure you, she will get. In answering your question, I had the picture of the girl because he wanted to see her. But I am not working her case; I am not much good at kidnappings."

"What?" asked a startled Elliot.

"Just try to stop it, Detective. It is already to late." snickered the perp.

Elliot sprinted out of the interrogation room and dialed Casey's cell. No one picked up. Cragen walked over to him and asked, "What is going on?"

"I don't know!" exclaimed Elliot, panic rising in his voice. He walked out and looked over at Olivia, who was typing up a report. She had returned to work a week ago, and on the outside she seemed okay. But Elliot knew that she wasn't. He walked over to her and asked, "How are you doing?"

"Fine. Why?" she questioned, turning around to face him. He didn't respond and gently laid a hand on her thigh. "Elliot… what's going on?"

"Oh my God! That's her! Back to work so soon, aren't you? Little bitch." Olivia turned and saw Munch and Fin escorting out the man they had collared earlier. He was gazing at her with an insanely happy grin. She stared at the man who had killed her child and laid her hand on her 9 millimeter. Elliot grabbed her wrist and pulled her back around to face him.

"Don't you let what he said get to you, alright?" Elliot told her forcefully, holding her face in his hands. "Don't listen." Olivia nodded, though her eyes welled up with tears as she leaned up against his chest. Elliot looked over her shoulder and made sure he was gone before he pulled away. Olivia slowly released him, not wanting to lose the strength she felt in his arms.

"You two. In my office, now." Cragen's voice called across the hall. Olivia looked at Elliot in surprise and he seemed equally puzzled. They got up and went into his office, confused as they were.

"What's up, Captain?" Elliot questioned, glancing over at Cragen who was looking especially somber.

"Shut the door and have a seat." He instructed, and Olivia instantly collapsed into a chair next to his desk. Elliot clicked the door shut and sat down beside her. Cragen rubbed his forehead and then started, "Casey was shot about a half hour ago. They think she is going to make it, but… the gunman took Riley."

Two weeks later there were still no leads as too where Riley was. Elliot was in a positively lethal mood, no one got in his way. He spent extremely long days searching for any possible leads and was constantly exhausted. Olivia was both angry and bitter. She now felt that in addition to her sons and the fireman's deaths, Casey's severe injury and Riley's kidnapping were her fault.

One afternoon Elliot was out in the field as usual while Olivia was covering all the paperwork needed. Out of the blue Cragen called her into his office once again. When she walked in and shut the door she noticed a cop in uniform standing next to the wall. "Officer Nicholas Hunt, Detective Olivia Stabler." Cragen said, and the man stepped forward and shook her hand.

"Ah, the famous Detective Benson- well I guess it is Stabler now! I heard about your splendid undercover work in the Ortez case last year." Nicholas said enthusiastically.

Olivia smiled hesitantly back and Cragen quickly told her, "Officer Hunt is with the Denver Police Department. They have a lead on your daughter."

Her eye's widened and she stared at Hunt, who nodded, "Yes. She is in Colorado. I have private investigator's keeping tabs on her right now."

"Oh my God! She's okay?" exclaimed Olivia.

"From what we can see. However, we need your help. The man who has her is big in the Denver social scene, and we need you to go undercover."

Cragen looked at Olivia and said, "Olivia, you don't have to if you don't want to. I hesitate throwing you undercover so soon after your accident."

"No, Captain. I am going to get my daughter back. No matter what it takes." Olivia answered fiercely.

"Welcome aboard!" smiled Officer Hunt, "Now, I have tickets on the nine o clock flight out of here to Denver. We can run back to your apartment and grab some of your stuff if we hurry."

"Captain, don't call Elliot. I know he wouldn't want me to go. When he gets back from the field tell him about our daughter and as long as it's after nine, then tell him that I am going undercover." Olivia pleaded, "I have to do this. I have to."

Cragen watched as the two hurried out, Olivia clearing out her locker and then dropping the car keys onto Elliot's desk. As they ran out of the precinct doors, Cragen felt an odd sense of unease. He had just plunged her headfirst into a dangerous undercover mission when he knew she wasn't one hundred percent. If anything happened to her…

Elliot trotted back into the precinct late that night. He had gotten a number of decent leads as to Riley's whereabouts and collared a rape suspect all in one day. "Liv! Liv!" he exclaimed, and was surprised to find her desk empty. He looked at his own and saw she had put the car keys on top of his papers. A gnawing sensation rose in his stomach as he glanced around. He raced to her locker and quickly removed the combination lock. The locker was empty.

He heard someone walk up behind him and turned to find a very troubled looking Cragen standing there. "Cragen, where the hell is Olivia?"

Olivia sat impatiently awaiting the signal to begin boarding the United flight to Denver. She tapped her foot nervously and habitually rubbed her hands over stomach.

"You okay?" questioned Hunt gently.

"Yes, of course!" Olivia said, putting on a false smile.

"Okay, well hold on a second. I have to call my boss really quickly." Hunt said, patting her shoulder briefly. He then stood and walked out of her earshot and dialed a number. A very gruff sounding man picked up. "I got her. She is coming to Denver with me."

Hunt could tell the man on the other line was smiling as he answered, "Good. And she believes the daughter is here?"

"Oh yes. Thinks she's going undercover."

"Good man. Now get her nice and safe into Denver. Didn't I tell you she was quite the beautiful thing?"

"Yes, you did. And I now am glad I let you talk me into a cheaper money price and more of a… physical reward from her. But I thought I should tell you… I talked to her boss, and her husband is not the type to sit this type of thing out. He is going to come after her, I know it."

"Don't worry Hunt. I know exactly how we can detain him permanently in New York. Just get the bitch to Denver. The sooner you do, the sooner she's yours."

Hunt clicked his phone shut and walked back over to Olivia. "Sorry. Looks like we're boarding." he said, gesturing to the board. Olivia nodded and smiled at him. She stood and walked up to the stewardess, handing her their tickets. Hunt stepped up behind her, laying a hand on her back. He felt her tense slightly and smirked. She had no idea what was in store for her.


	3. Three

A/N: Merry Christmas! Here is a new chapter for ya! Keep on reading and reviewing, it gives me inspiration to write more! I hope you enjoy this chapter, however I personally like the next one much better! Also, there will be a lot of big questions at the end of this chapter, but they will all be answered in the next.

Disclaimer: I do not own them in any way, shape, or form. I do not own SVU either- a fact which I would be totally comfortable with if only Olivia and Elliot would finally get together on the show! O well…

Olivia laid her head against the plane's window, finding great comfort in the view. The plane jetted through thick clouds at first, and then the sky had opened up and the black night was sprinkled with stars. But even as she soaked in the quiet beauty of the darkness outside, her stomach was twisting up in knots. She missed Elliot deeply. In her last undercover mission she had been paired up with him as a rich executive and his girlfriend. That assignment had been an intense one, ending in a deadly shoot out. She and Elliot had escaped with nothing but bruises, and Olivia knew they had been lucky. And now she was alone.

"Excuse me, miss. Would you like anything to drink?" questioned the stewardess kindly, gently tapping Olivia on her shoulder.

"Yes, could I just get a water?" Olivia answered, sitting up. The stewardess smiled and handed her a glass. Olivia yanked out her bag and pulled out her pill bottles. Hunt, of course, watched with interest. When she had gotten out all of the ones she needed, she dropped the containers back into her bag. Hunt reached down and grabbed one.

"Anti-depressant?" he questioned, reading the label and looking at her with curiosity. Olivia snatched it back from him, flushing slightly. "Sorry." Hunt apologized quickly, "I just thought it was a little odd amongst all the antibiotics in there."

"Yes, well, my shrink prescribed it. Can't argue with her." Olivia muttered, rolling her eyes, "I guess in the hospital I had some sort of episode once I woke up from anesthesia, and was asking for my gun. They seriously thought I wanted it too shoot myself. Honestly."

"Well, did you?" Hunt asked shrewdly, raising an eyebrow.

"No! Look, I don't want to talk about it anymore. I lost my husband our child, alright? But I am perfectly emotionally stable now." Olivia snapped, gulping down her medication afterwards.

"Liv, I didn't want to make you upset. I am sorry."

"It's Olivia. No one is allowed to call me Liv except for my husband." exclaimed Olivia angrily, glaring over at him.

Hunt was beginning to lose his patience with this one. He had been informed she was feisty, stubborn, strong-willed, and occasionally a straight up bitch, but he hadn't quite been prepared for this attitude. "You do realize Mrs. Stabler that you are going to have to be my wife as soon as we step foot into Denver International Airport? It's the only way we will get your daughter back."

"Yes, I realize that, Mr. Hunt. But let me give you fair warning. Don't try to kiss me or get your hand down my pants. My real husband gets that job, not my fake one." Olivia said exasperatedly.

"Of course not. You aren't very trusting are you?" Hunt asked, trying to resist the urge to slap her.

"Not really. Look, I appreciate you trying to help me find my daughter, I really do." Olivia said, almost apologizing, but Hunt could tell she still had that defiant look in her eye and wasn't sorry in the slightest. He reluctantly patted her knee and then went back to dozing off. He couldn't believe this woman.

Elliot looked quite murderous as Cragen explained the situation to him. "You mean to tell me, you let her go undercover when she is still sick? For Christ's sake, by the end of the day, she is lucky to be able to walk with all the pain she's in. I carry her up the stairs to our apartment every night because the first time she tried to go up them herself she fell and split open some of her stitches. Now you tell me, does that sound like someone ready to go undercover?"

"Elliot, I didn't want too. But this was something she felt she had to do." Cragen sighed, looking very upset. Elliot didn't answer, and just sat fuming. "She is trying to save your daughter, Elliot. Don't forget, she is still a cop. And a damned good one at that. If you try to save her now, it will blow the undercover."

Alexandra Cabot lay on her back on the couch, deep in thought. Her husband Henry ambled over to her, just in from work. He smiled very sweetly and climbed over on top of her. Alex grinned and kissed him. "How are you?" she questioned, and he kissed her again in response.

"How are you?" he questioned her, noticing her somewhat distant expression.

"I don't know. I just… I am worried about Olivia. She's gone undercover to find her daughter. Some Denver cop came and said they found her in Colorado." Alex said, and Henry immediately became quite serious.

"What?"

"Cragen told me that this… Nicholas Hunt guy showed up and said the DPD had seen Riley in Colorado. They said she had to go undercover as a Denver elitist to get her back." Alex began, and Henry immediately leapt off the couch.

"Oh my God."

"What is it?" Alex exclaimed, standing up beside him. Henry didn't answer, and was merely strapping his gun back around his waist. "Henry! What's going on?"

"The Denver Police Department never sends out officers for undercover missions. They always have the person they want to go undercover report immediately for briefing from the commissioner. Olivia is in very great danger. Nicholas Hunt is dead. He died in a shoot out six years ago."

Alex's eyes widened and she stared at him. "You're sure?"

"Positive. I was there." Henry answered, throwing on his jacket and racing out the door.

Elliot was still at work around twelve that evening. He and Cragen were the only ones left in the precinct and it was strangely silent. Suddenly the door swung open and Elliot looked up to see Alex's husband walking in, looking extraordinarily upset. "Henry! What brings you to special victims at this ungodly hour? The mounted police not keeping you busy enough?" Cragen asked, just walking out of his office.

Henry didn't smile at the joke and merely said, "Olivia is in a lot of danger. You were fooled. The Denver Police do not send officers out to recruit people for undercover, the DPD contacts the people via telephone and then has them flown out to meet immediately with the commissioner."

Elliot leapt to his feet, seizing Henry's shoulder and turning him around to face him. "She's been gone three days. I haven't been able to get a single trace on her."

Cragen slammed his fist against the wall. "That son of a bitch! Elliot, get PI's sent out to Colorado as soon as possible. I am going to go public with this."

"It also means that Riley is probably still in New York." Elliot said, his eyes widening. "All those tips we were getting! We thought they were phony because she was in Colorado!"

Olivia was lying wide awake in a hotel bed in Denver, Colorado. Hunt lay next to her. Well, sort of. He was undercover the covers and she was on top of them in a sleeping bag she had gotten from the hotel. She had been in Colorado nearly a full week. Olivia was still very uncomfortable around him, and was having trouble slipping into the role of his snooty, rich wife from New York City. Nicholas was having no trouble adjusting, saying that he had gone undercover numerous times with a variety of women. However, despite all of her insecurities, they had managed to easily infiltrate into the upper class citizens of Denver. Olivia had become an instant man magnet and was constantly hit on every time they went out to one of their social gatherings. Glancing over at the clock Olivia saw that it was four in the morning. She sighed and got up out of her sleeping bag. She walked into the bathroom and glanced up at her reflection in the mirror. It had changed a great deal. She ran her hands through her bleach blonde hair complete with special highlights so that she looked like a natural. Her dark eyes were now navy blue, thanks to her new non-prescription contacts. Olivia quickly changed into her outfit for the day, a royal blue dress that was strapless and rather short. It was very tight and from fitting until it passed her hips, where it flared out into a movement accentuating ruffle. She then zipped up the leather boots that come up just below her knees and had a good six inch heel on them. She then sat down on the toilet seat and looked at her hand. Hunt had let her keep her wedding ring on, something she was very appreciative for. She ran her fingers over its beautiful white gold band and the diamonds and sapphires embedded in it, thinking of Elliot.

Olivia sat there for a long while. At seven Nicholas awoke and changed into his fancy tux- right in front of her, as usual. "Morning, dearest." He said as he pulled on his pants. Olivia was looking away and waved her hand in acknowledgment. After she was sure he was done she ambled out of the bathroom, feeling exhausted. Suddenly Nicholas grabbed her arms and pushed her up against the wall. He leaned in close and whispered, "You must begin to act like you are my wife. So far you have jeopardized the whole operation. Do you want to get your daughter back or not?" Olivia stared back at him, surprised by his anger. She nodded slowly and he smiled. "Good. First test of your new resolve." With that he leaned forward and kissed her neck, stepping forward and pressing her harder against the wall. Olivia squirmed uneasily, trying to fight her way out, but he had put his whole body weight into pinning her. Her breathing became heavy from panic and he finally pulled away. Hunt looked extremely irritated and then leaned back down, kissing the top of her collarbone and progressing lower. When his hands released her arms to try slip down the top of her dress Olivia immediately kneed him as hard as she could in the groin and shoved him off, finishing by slapping him with all her strength across his face.

"Don't ever try that again!" she yelled, shaking with fury.

"You are such a bitch!" Hunt shrieked, caressing his stinging cheek and scowling at her.

"Yes well, you can think what you want. I don't care. But I am starting to think that no matter how much it would endanger this mission I should call the DPD Commissioner." Olivia snapped, and Hunt immediately approached her.

"Don't you dare!" he hissed, grabbing her arms painfully hard, "I am tired of your crap." He slipped out his 9 millimeter and pressed it against her temple, clicking the safety off as he did so. Olivia froze, taking a deep breath. "Here's the deal. I was hired to get you out of New York, your daughter isn't here."

Olivia's eyes widened and she asked, "Where is she?"

"Still in New York. Totally unharmed as of now. However, if I call my people and tell them you are being a wench that may change. Your husband is as we speak following leads to get her. He should succeed. We are not interested in Riley, only you."

"We?" questioned Olivia, still very aware of the loaded gun pressed against the side of her head.

"The others involved. You have already met the one who kidnapped that girl a while back that had the picture of you. The others are myself, the man who struck your car, the one who kidnapped your daughter, and of course, the one in charge." Nicholas said, and Olivia felt her heart begin to slow as she heard him click the safety back on and take his finger off the trigger. "Don't look so relieved." He hissed, taking the gun and striking the side of her face with it. She fell to the ground, completely disoriented and her head reeled painfully. Hunt gave her a whack across the back with the gun and then kicked her very hard in the stomach. Olivia's eyes welled up with tears as the impact of the kick made her only partially healed abdominal muscles scream in pain. Fortunately, she had blocked with her hands and they helped absorb the blow. "Now, Detective Stabler, you will sleep with me. If you do, I will try my best to get you back to New York."

Olivia didn't answer. She could feel her mind begin to shut down as unconsciousness threatened to take her over. She swallowed back the taste of blood in her mouth and fought the urge to slip into dark sleep. She knew full well what Hunt would do to her if she did. Struggling to her feet she gazed at Hunt. "I will. Tonight. But we have promised a lot of people we would go to this party and they will be worried if we don't come."

"Good girl. See, it just takes a few smacks to get a woman in line. Surely your husband has figured that out with you, seeing as you are especially disobedient."

"He has never hit me." Olivia snapped, glaring up at him. Hunt responded by giving her a few good hits with his fists and whacking her again with the gun, this time in the collarbone.

"Well, I guess that means I must supply your discipline." he said with a sickening smirk, "Go on and change, we can't have you looking less than crisp."

Olivia could see the blue bruises forming on her sides and face and changed into her most concealing dress. But as Hunt had selected her outfits, none of them really were that covering. This one was scarlet red with a halter top and crisscrossed straps down the back, and flared out below her hips just like the blue dress had. She reapplied her make up quite heavily, but the gash on her face and the bruise surrounding it from the gun was unable to be hidden fully. When she walked out Hunt stroked the side her face as if to apologize. She looked away and he took her arm and they walked out, slipping undercover once again.

Samson Weatherby had been a private investigator for thirty years, but this was the most interesting case he had had so far. A cop abducted while thinking she was going undercover. He sighed and glanced around the streets of Denver from the warm comfort of his car. It was a frigid day and snow covered the ground, falling lightly from the dark sky. Just as he was about to pull out he noticed something odd. He snatched up his camera and zoomed in. There was a beautiful blonde haired woman walking down the street- wearing a rather skimpy red dress. This was astoundingly unusual to see in Colorado's winter; even the wealthy wore a good amount of clothing despite how unstylish they found it. As a gust of wind blew it ruffled the woman's dress above her knees, revealing a blemish on one. Samson zoomed in and saw a scar running across her right kneecap. His heart caught in his chest. That was one of the distinguishing marks on Olivia Stabler. He rapidly clicked some photos of it and then focused on her hand. She wore a ring identical to the one he had a picture of Olivia wearing. He snapped a few of that and then zoomed in on her face. Blonde hair and blue eyes, but quite the same face structure. Samson shifted over his seat, and began clicking more. Suddenly she stopped and looked right over at his car. Samson was startled by her awareness. She looked at him in a mixture of surprise and fear. Olivia was about to say something when a man came bolting out of the door of a building, grabbing her arms. Samson continued taking pictures, feeling his stomach knot as he now knew what all those bruises on her were from.

Elliot gulped his fourth glass of coffee down. He had slept maybe four hours total in the past few days. Cragen had gone public with Olivia's disappearance, and her picture was being circulated all over Colorado. But from the looks of things, she had fallen off the face of the earth. Elliot had never felt more torn. He could stay in New York to find Riley, or go to Colorado to find Olivia. Cragen had forbidden him to go to Colorado, saying that Riley was in far more danger than Olivia, as she was only a little girl. Elliot's frustrations were extremely evident, and everyone stayed out of his way for the most part so that they didn't become an easy target of his wrath. Elliot flipped through the most recent information coming back from the PI's searching for Olivia. Nothing much had surfaced, except for a few airport security tapes showing her leaving DIA. Cragen suddenly walked out of his office after taking a call and hurried to Elliot. "Turn on your computer!" he exclaimed, and Elliot did so, looking at him with confusion. "I just got a call from a PI. He is e-mailing us pictures right now."

Elliot and Cragen stared as the pictures began to pop up as they signed onto the internet. "Who is that?" questioned Cragen, looking intently at the woman with light blonde hair walking down a Denver street. Elliot shook his head, clicking open the next one. This was another shot of her, only it was focused on her hand. You couldn't tell much except she had a ring. Then Elliot skipped to the next one, a very close up zoom on the ring. Elliot took in a deep breath and then clicked to the next picture. A scar traced across the woman's knee.

"Oh my God. It's Olivia."

Olivia was shaking with cold as she was escorted into the club by Hunt. He immediately got her a drink, which she reluctantly took. Alcohol was the last thing she wanted at the moment for it made her feel queasy as she had eaten very little over the past week. Hunt went about greeting their new friends and Olivia glanced around, trying to figure out a way she could leave without being stopped. Several of her male admirers ran up to her, offering her drinks and using any excuse to touch her on the arms. Olivia flirted harmlessly with them, as she had done the past week, until Hunt came back and pulled her up into his arms, kissing her very forcefully on the lips. Olivia tried her best to shove him off as he attempted to open her mouth with his tongue. He pulled away, playfully placing a hand on her chest while glaring at her.

Devon Masters watched the beautiful blonde as she tried to inconspicuously shove her husband off her. He could tell from the look the man gave to her that he was going to hit her again, as soon as they weren't in public. She had tried to hide her pain all morning, but Devon could sense it. He had been watching her for a week. And it was only this morning that he had made the connection. Devon narrowed his green eyes and then stood up, walking over to them. "Excuse me, mind if I dance with her?"

Olivia whipped away from Hunt, turning to find herself looking into the bright green eyes of a man she had seen around the parties. He had been rather quiet, never saying anything too loudly and drinking very minimally. Gossip said he was a rancher in his late forties, rich off of the oil company he owned. But Olivia had noticed the limp in his walk and the stiffness to his right side, and she had a gut feeling he was far more than that.

"Sure." Hunt said, shoving her into his arms.

Olivia wrapped her arms around the man's neck and he placed one hand on her lower back, pushing her right up against him. They backed up into the mass of dancers- if you could call it dancing. Mostly it was the teenage children of the wealthy feeling each other up to music. They soon were lost in the shuffle and Olivia couldn't see Hunt at all. The man who was dancing with Olivia pulled her close to him, his hands beginning to rove around her body. However, it wasn't the touching that she had been struggling to avoid this past week; it was a rather gentle, tender touch- searching for injuries. The man pressed his cheek against hers, his left hand finding her aching ribs. She inhaled sharply when he pressed and he immediately moved his hands. He slowly moved them over her back and then down to her belly. Olivia couldn't help it and gasped in pain, pulling away slightly. The man gently pushed her back against him and felt up her sides and to her face. She winced when he touched the place where the gun had struck her.

The man ran a hand through her hair in a would-be passionate way and then whispered, "You do not need to take this."

"Its nothing." murmured Olivia, pressing her hand against his shoulder.

The man took her face in his hands. Olivia met his eyes and he said softly, "Let me help you, Detective Stabler."


	4. Four

A/N: Once again, thank you for your reviews! Thanks also for the advice, TheSmallOne8806! Yes, Elliot's other kids will be making an appearance; I just haven't found the opportunity to throw them in yet (though Maureen is in this chapter.) And I apologize for making it unclear last chapter, Elliot is more concerned for Riley, which is why he remains in New York once they find out Olivia isn't undercover. I think this chapter and the next will help clear up any confusing points, as Elliot will have more of a part in them. Last chapter was mainly about Olivia.

Disclaimer: SVU and its related characters aren't mine. Obviously. However, I own the plot and the characters that aren't in the show! That's something at least.

Olivia could feel her heart start to hammer against her chest as she gazed at him in barely masked shock. How had he figured out who she was? His fiercely green eyes held no sign of lust or treachery, but you could never be sure. Olivia opened her mouth to deny his assertion, but felt the cold touch of Hunt on her waist. "Devon, I am sure you will let me have my wife back for this dance?" Hunt questioned the man, who bowed politely, though his eyes never left Olivia.

"The camera's loving you, baby!" came a shriek, and Olivia turned to see a young man holding a video camera. He grinned at her and gave her the thumbs up.

"Come on. Show him how you can dance." Hunt exclaimed, pulling Olivia into position. She reluctantly spun out, moving gracefully despite her sore body. Hunt was not a very good dancer and Olivia had to overcompensate for a lot of his mistakes. He let her call the shots, probably due to the fact he had no idea what he was doing, and she found herself falling into the dance she and Elliot had given at the Christmas ball all those years ago.

She was about halfway through when she came in from a wrap out and Hunt grabbed her lower back and pushed her hard against him. He then used his other hand to trace down the center of her chest. Olivia gulped back a cry of disgust as she remembered how wonderful it had been when Elliot had done that to her and how horrible the comparison now. She managed to continue on with the dance until Hunt lost all self control. He made the mistake of putting both his hands on her chest and she gasped in anger, punching him as hard as she could in the jaw. He seized her hand, dragging her down onto the floor with him. Olivia scrambled to get up but he had to tight of a hold. Hunt struck her twice on the face and hauled her too her feet. She kicked him in the knee and slammed his fist into her abdomen. Olivia doubled over and he threw her backwards. She collided with a table and felt a sharp pain in her calf. She had fallen onto a shattered beer bottle, the fragments now embedded in the muscle. Olivia bit her lip and struggled to her feet. Hunt jumped forward, ready to hit her again, but this time Devon stepped in. He swung a very experienced fist to Hunt's jaw and hooked a kick around to the back of his knee. Hunt fell backwards and Devon kicked him in the side several times. He then turned to Olivia and ran over to her.

"Are you alright?" he questioned, looking at the blood seeping out onto the floor. Olivia nodded, though Devon knew she wasn't. "Come on, let's get you out of here." Devon said.

Olivia suddenly leapt forward, dragging Devon down to the floor with her. A loud gunshot ripped through the club, and several people screamed. The bullet was embedded right where she had been standing. Devon's eyes widened and Olivia pulled him underneath another table as several more shots went off. Olivia looked and saw Hunt lying on the ground, a bullet through his chest. "We have to hurry!" whispered Olivia, and she and Devon sprinted out from underneath the table. They ran out the doors and the glass shattered behind them. Olivia fell into a horrible limp after they went down the stairs, blood pouring down her leg. Then all was silent. Devon turned and immediately scooped her up into his arms, running to a dark pick up parked outside. He deposited Olivia into the passenger seat and called the police as he got into the drivers seat.

Olivia leaned back against the window, watching as Devon talked with the operator of 911. She could feel her heart pounding furiously in her chest and warm blood oozed down her leg. Her stomach hurt far more than the rest of her however, and she held it gently, trying to ease the pain. Her vision then became blurry and she collapsed, unconscious.

She awoke to the feeling of an oxygen mask pressed over her face. As she blinked up at the faces of the paramedics over her she saw Devon standing looking very worried nearby. "I am alright." she muttered, and they slowly removed the mask. Olivia sat up slowly, shaking her head to clear it.

"We bandaged your leg, but you are going to need to see a doctor." one of them told her, and she nodded.

"I will take her to mine." Devon said quickly, hurrying over to Olivia as she got up and began to climb out of the ambulance. Olivia turned and handed the paramedic the blanket she had been wrapped up in, but he shoved it away.

"Keep it. You look cold." He said with a kind smile. Olivia thanked him and pulled it tight around her. Devon took her arm and helped her through the crowd.

"No one else was hurt?" Olivia questioned.

"Nope, no one but Hunt. He was killed of course. They can't find the shooter though." Devon answered, opening the door to his truck.

"Great." sighed Olivia, climbing into the seat of his truck.

Devon looked at her intensely and said, "I had to tell the police your name. It's going to be all over the papers that you were found. But they are allowing you to go with me for the time being."

Olivia stared in surprise, but Devon immediately questioned, "Which hotel were you at?"

"The Marriott. Why?"

"You are going to get your stuff. And then I am getting you the hell out of Denver." Devon answered easily, starting the engine and immediately stepping hard on the gas.

"Wait a minute. How do you even know who I am? And why should I trust you?" Olivia exclaimed, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

"You can't tell me you haven't picked up a paper in the past week." Devon said, raising an eyebrow at her, "Your picture has made the inside cover every day. I just realized it was you this morning- the hair and contacts were a good disguise, but you can't fool me for too long. And, my dear Detective, there is absolutely no reason why you should trust me other than my word that I only want to help you. Hunt introduced me to one of his older friends a couple days ago- and let me tell you, I was scared stiff. I knew that was the man he was going to turn you over to, when he was done. And the way that man was watching you… it sent shivers down my spine, and I do not frighten easily, Mrs. Stabler."

"How did you notice all of this?" Olivia questioned, staring at him incredulously.

Devon smiled and reached into his pocket. He tossed her over a badge. "I was FBI until a couple years ago. Old habits die hard."

Olivia traced her hands over the smooth metal, reading the ID beside it. _Devon Jacob Masters, _it said, and then Olivia handed it back. "And so, now you are going to send me back to New York?"

"No. You are coming with me. It is not safe for you too leave. We cannot move too quickly. Your husband has to find your daughter before you go back. The man in charge is going to alert them that you have escaped Hunt's grasp, and if you show up there they have no reason too let her go. Okay, here we are." Hunt said, jumping out of the truck.

They hurried upstairs, Devon carrying Olivia despite her protests, and ran into their room. Olivia went about throwing her stuff in her bag with haste.

"The real question is this- why did the shooter kill Hunt?" she said as she tossed some of her dresses into the bag.

"Because he doesn't want Hunt to go blab to the police about his involvement- and I would bet my life that it was Mr. Lucius." Devon said immediately. Olivia nodded, very impressed with the man's reasoning. She wasn't very inclined to trust anyone, but as of now she had no other choice.

"Your life is not a good thing to bet with, Mr. Masters. And who is Mr. Lucius?"

"He was the man whom Nicholas Hunt introduced me too. It was so obvious he was the head guy in charge. And the way he looked at you."

"I never saw him." Olivia said, furrowing her brow in thought.

Devon smiled and answered, "He did his best to stay hidden. You look adorable confused, by the way." Olivia playfully slapped his arm and went back to packing. "Do you have any… ummm… winter clothes? Pants maybe?" Devon asked, raising an eyebrow as he watched.

"No… Hunt didn't exactly want to cover me up." Olivia answered, turning to face him.

"Alright. Well we are going to get you some clothes. In the mean time, you can wear my coat." Olivia smiled gratefully as he threw her his thick down jacket. As she slipped it over her shoulder Devon had walked over to the bed, finding Hunt's gun. "He hit you with this, didn't he?" Olivia turned and nodded, noticing the blood smeared on the barrel and the white sheets. Devon gritted his teeth angrily and then held it out to her. "Why don't you keep this- just in case you need it."

Olivia took it from him in surprise. He wasn't armed and yet he trusted her enough to have the powerful handgun. Devon didn't notice and within a couple minutes they headed out.

Olivia sat quietly in the front seat, her eyes half closed from exhaustion. Devon reached into the glove box of the truck and grabbed a bag of beef jerky. "Hungry?" he questioned and Olivia nodded, catching the bag as he tossed it over. She decided that food had never tasted so good and finished off the bag in a hurry. "Dear lord, missy. Have you eaten at all since you got here?"

Olivia thought about it for a second and then answered, "Not much." Devon shook his head angrily. She then sat in contented silence as they clipped down the highway towards the mountains. After a while Olivia watched as Devon seemed to get very sore driving. He switched from his right foot to using his left to hit the brakes and turned on the cruise control. "What happened?" she questioned suddenly.

Devon looked over at her and smiled, gingerly rubbing a hand over his right knee. "I got caught." he began slowly, and then continued after a moment, "Three years ago I was one of the FBI's most involved agents. A couple of the criminals I put away escaped and came after me. I was out jogging and they shot me four times with a rifle. Two of the bullets went through my knee, one through my hip, and the last nicked my spine. They left me for dead, but some girl out riding her horse found me. That was the end of my career. I was forced to retire as soon as I woke up from anesthesia."

Olivia stared at him and then said, "I am sorry."

"Don't be. I was lucky. If that bullet would have been a fraction of a centimeter closer to my spine I would be paralyzed. Besides, at first I thought my life was over, you know because I had been an agent for twenty years and didn't know anything else. But then I met my wife and we bought some land in the mountains. I owe my recovery to her."

Olivia smiled at him and asked, "Do you have any kids?"

"Yep. Twins, one year old." Devon answered with a grin.

"I have twins too." Olivia said quietly.

Devon looked over at her. "Really? How many kids do you have?"

"I had six." Olivia responded, and Devon's eyes widened. Olivia laughed at his expression and said, "Well, technically four are from my husbands first marriage, and we had two of our own."

"Had?" Devon questioned.

"My daughter, as you know, was kidnapped and I don't know where she is. And my son died before he was six hours old." Olivia said, taking a breath to hold back tears.

Devon looked at her in sorrow and said, "I am sorry, Olivia. But you will find your daughter, I am sure of it." Olivia held his gaze briefly, and the assurance in his brilliant green eyes was comforting. She then turned back to watch the landscape. A light snow had begun to fall and the sky was a brooding gray. And in the distance the great mountains watched their approach with a quietly majestic air. Olivia leaned up against the window, for the first time in weeks feeling a peace that she would have thought impossible.

Elliot had just come in from the field when he was called into Cragen's office. As he walked in he saw a young woman with long blonde hair sitting in a chair next to the door. "Maureen!" he exclaimed, and she smiled broadly while jumping to her feet and throwing her arms around his neck. When she let go Elliot brushed a hair away from her cheek and then asked, "What brings you here?"

Maureen's face grew somber and she said, "I just wanted to see if you had made any progress on finding Riley."

"All we have managed to get is that she's alive. I guess that's something." Elliot mumbled bitterly, greatly displeased at the lack of advancement in the case. Maureen put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

They both jumped when Cragen's phone rang. Cragen immediately picked it up and Elliot watched as his expression changed to one of great intensity. After a moment he hung it up and indicated to the TV overhead. "Elliot, there's something you are going to want to see."

As Elliot flipped on the TV and changed the channel according to Cragen's directions, Huang walked in. He was about to say something, but immediately stopped when he saw what the three were so transfixed on.

The partygoer that had shot the film of Olivia dancing had caught the entire shooting and had turned the tape over to the media. Elliot watched in worry for Olivia and a tiny bit of jealously as she danced her very beautiful but rather provocative Latin ballroom with Hunt. He was however, gloating with pride that he could dance far better than Hunt, and this brought a slight smirk to his face. Then quite suddenly Hunt decided he would like to feel her up and Elliot watched as Olivia hit him- hard. "That's my girl!" he exclaimed, but his enthusiasm was cut off when Hunt proceeded to strike her in response, sending her flying into a table.

Elliot just about passed out in fear when the tape showed the shooting. All of it was very blurry and dark, but he could vaguely see Olivia and the man who had helped her racing to the door. The tape ended shortly after that, immediately feeding into the newscaster interviewing people on the scene. When the face a green eyed man with dark hair appeared, Huang inhaled sharply. Elliot turned and looked at him, but Huang waved him away.

They were all silent after the news was turned off until Huang said, "Well, Elliot. I wouldn't be too concerned for Olivia's safety anymore."

Elliot turned to glare at him. "Why not?"

"The man they showed with her was Devon Masters. I know of him. He was FBI a few years back. One of our most talented agents, he was incredibly perceptive and an amazing fighter. He was well known and revered by many in the bureau."

Elliot looked at him and asked, "What happened?"

Huang got an almost haunted look and answered, "A couple of criminals he put away escaped and caught him. He was shot multiple times, beaten, and then left to die. They had one of my colleagues see him for months after. He had trouble handling the reality that he could never do the same work he once did. However, I know that Olivia will be safe with him. "

"Oh." Elliot said, feeling very sorry for the man. He didn't know what he would do if he could not work at SVU.

Cragen's phone rang again. "He will be right there." Don answered, hanging up the phone quickly. "Elliot that was the S.W.A.T. team. They need you right away at the complex on 87th. There has been an incident."

Elliot turned to him. "What kind of incident?"

"They found Riley, but something went wrong when they tried to save her..."


	5. Five

A/N: Happy New Years everyone!!! I hope 2005 treats you well and that many great SVU episodes are in store! Congratulations to Mariska Hargitay on her Golden Globe nomination! Also, a sad farewell to Jerry Orbach, we'll miss you!! Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter; it took me a really long time to construct it correctly, it was really difficult to write! So sorry it took so long to update! Also, there will be loads of unanswered questions in this one, so be patient, they will be addressed in the next chapter! Please read and review- I live on reviews (plus they make me write faster)!!!!!

Disclaimer: As soon as you see Elliot and Olivia paired up on the show, you will know I have succeeding in gaining ownership of SVU. In the meantime, I don't own them.

Devon wrapped Olivia up tighter in her blanket and picked her up gently. She was sound asleep and didn't wake. He carried her slowly up the steps to a small medical building and opened the door. A nurse immediately looked up from the front desk and scurried over to them. "Hello, Devon! Is this that cop you rescued?" she questioned, staring at Olivia in interest.

"Well, this is Detective Stabler. I would not say I rescued her. She's smart, she would have found a way out on her own. I simply sped up the process." Devon replied with a nonchalant shrug.

The nurse shook her head at him and smiled. "You are something else, Devon Masters. Bring her on back."

Olivia pressed her head harder against the warm body carrying her. She felt feverish and disoriented, her body shaking slightly. Devon noticed this and carefully lay her down on the stretcher the nurse had wheeled up. He stroked her cheek gently, finding it to be quite hot. Olivia wearily opened her eyes and watched as Devon and the nurse covered her up in the sheets. That act alone sapped her strength and she fell into a restless slumber once more.

Devon sat uneasily in the waiting room. Something was wrong with her. She had been alright for the first hour, and then had slowly become lethargic and quiet, falling asleep and not waking up for the rest of the three hour drive. He looked at his watch, finding it to be 6:30. Olivia had been with the doctor almost two hours. He inhaled deeply, impatiently tapping his foot on the floor.

"Sorry to have bored you, Devon." Devon glanced up and saw his old friend, Doctor Ryder, standing a few feet away. Devon smiled and stood, shaking Ryder's hand in greeting. Before he could ask the question, Doctor Ryder answered it for him. "She should be fine. I stitched up her leg, checked her abdominal region for damage done to the recent surgery locations, x-rayed her ribs, and did some blood work. There were no fractures, so that was good; the surgical areas are not severely damaged, though I do not like the trauma they were subjected too, and recommend a sharp watch on her in case of internal bleeding. Her leg will be fine, I used dissolvable stitches, they should be gone in two weeks and I put her on some antibiotics for infection. The only thing that worried me was that her blood contained very high levels of a certain sedative which if used over a period of days will cause severe weight loss and damage the heart. It seems to me she has been getting this for at least a week."

Devon gritted his teeth and muttered, "That bastard Hunt. He was always getting her drinks, I imagine he laced them all."

Ryder nodded somberly and said, "That would make sense. I have her on an IV to flush out her system and restore some nutrients to the tissues, so she will need to be on that for another four hours. But fortunately her heart seems to be doing fine, though we will have to keep an eye on that too."

"Alright. Can I go see her?" Devon asked, and Ryder nodded.

Devon walked into the small exam room and found Olivia sitting up, wide awake and surveying her surroundings with renewed interest. "Devon!" she exclaimed, quite relieved to see him again.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Devon questioned, sitting down beside her.

"Not bad, considering." Olivia said with a smile.

"Did the doctor tell you about the sedative Hunt was giving you?"

"Yes. Doesn't surprise me, I felt very tired on this trip, but I assumed it was the altitude and lack of food. That drink he gave me this morning must have had some extra in it, since he was planning on raping me tonight." Olivia answered, running a hand through her blonde hair in frustration.

"You could not have seen it. Plus, even if you had, you could not have refused drinks so publicly, it would have interfered with your 'undercover operation' you thought you were a part of." Devon stated reassuringly, placing a hand on her shoulder. Olivia turned to look at him with deep chocolate eyes. "I like that color better."

"Thanks." Olivia said, smiling sweetly at him.

Devon flushed, wondering how her husband could ever say no that her. A slight smile came to his lips as he considered the fact that he probably didn't. "Doctor Ryder said you could eat, so I brought you some food." He said after a long silence.

"Sounds great! I am starving." Olivia answered, and then she paused. "Devon, I want to call my husband."

Devon nodded and handed her the phone, apologizing profusely for forgetting to let her do so earlier. As she dialed Elliot's cell her stomach knotted up in anxiety, though from what she couldn't tell. His message machine picked up, something rarely ever happened. Olivia hung up in frustration, and then decided to call again, just in case he hadn't been able to reach it in time a second ago. When the phone clicked off the ringer someone answered- and it wasn't Elliot. Olivia almost dropped the phone in shock.

Elliot arrived on the scene and immediately sought out the S.W.A.T. team leader, who was looking extraordinarily flustered, gritting his teeth while tapping his fingers anxiously on his gun. Elliot ignored this however, and launched into questions as to what was going on. Rufus Williams, the leader, seemed to think through his answer carefully before speaking. "We received a tip from an anonymous source saying that your daughter was in this building with two armed men. Because of the nature of the threats the men were issuing to the residents of the building, we were called in immediately. But there was a skirmish. Now we two perps holding upwards of eight people hostage, your daughter included." Elliot stared at Rufus, who looked very apologetic. "Look, Detective. I hate doing this. But they are asking for you. They told our negotiator that if Detective Elliot Stabler goes in they will let everyone go."

"I'll do it." Elliot answered immediately, and Rufus nodded.

"We'll get you ready. We will have snipers on you at all times. As soon as they release the hostages we will get you out of there and if they try to stop you…" Rufus trailed off, waving his hand in the directions of sharpshooters placed on the roofs nearby. "However, you must be in the room. There are plenty of wide windows there, so we can protect you. Do not stay in the hall. If they make a wrong move while you are in the room, we will kill them. I just want to attempt to get them alive, so we can find out the motive behind this."

Elliot nodded as they slipped him into a bullet proof vest. He pulled his jacket on over it and carefully tucked his scarf around his neck so the vest was completely hidden. His heart was hammering heavily against his chest and his hands shook as he slipped his gun out of its holster. So much was at stake here.

Rufus summoned over two uniformed S.W.A.T. members, and then turned back to Elliot. "They will escort you and stay as close as possible, with you in their sights at all times."

As they slowly ascended the steps into the building Rufus watched and mentally cursed himself for getting into this situation. Perhaps if they had done things differently he would not have had to send Detective Stabler in. Rufus felt quite inclined to resign from the leader of the S.W.A.T. team as soon as this was over, thoroughly distraught at this magnificent failure. But he knew how to suck it up and deal with his mistakes, and immediately was one hundred and ten percent on task as soon as Elliot and his armed escort disappeared into the building.

Cragen ran over to Rufus, just having arrived on scene. "What is going on?" he shrieked, yanking Rufus around by the shoulder.

"Elliot's gone in." Rufus answered simply, his eyes never leaving the third floor of the building.

Cragen's eyes widened and he took in several deep breaths to calm down before he managed to say, "You told me you needed him to here to help his daughter, not to send him on a very risky mission thanks to your failure."

"That's what he's doing- Riley is one of the hostages. I don't like doing it, Captain Cragen, but he is our best chance at getting everyone out alive."

"Fine. But I swear to God- if you lose me my Detective…" Cragen hissed angrily, glaring at Rufus.

Rufus didn't answer but the look on his face showed that he understood.

Elliot stepped up the final flight of stairs. His armed escort followed closely as they stepped into the hall. The response was instant. A man stepped out from one of the doors with a gun pressed hard against Riley's temple, holding her with his other hand tight to his waist. Riley seemed extraordinarily calm in the situation at first, and then caught sight of Elliot. "Daddy!" she screamed, immediately starting to kick and flail desperately.

"Riley sweetheart, you need to stay calm, alright?" Elliot said as evenly as he could. Then he raised his voice even louder and continued, "I am here now. So let her go."

The man didn't appear to be very moved and merely growled, "They have to leave." He gestured to the two men escorting Elliot. Elliot turned and nodded at them. They remained quite still. "They leave or I kill her and everyone else!" shrieked the man, jerking Riley up closer to him.

"Alright!" answered Elliot, desperately trying to keep calm. He turned to his escort and gave them a shove. "Go! I will be fine!"

"But Detective…" one began in a whisper, "You must get into the room! You can't stay in the hall!"

"I know that!" snapped Elliot, "And if you don't leave, everyone dies. So get out!"

The escort appeared to be very panicked at leaving their charge but Elliot looked at them steadily. They began to step backwards slowly, and the man holding Riley yelled, "Faster!"

Cragen's jaw dropped as Elliot's escort came out looking very discouraged. "Where is he?" he yelled, knowing he was being very unhelpful and irritating but not caring one bit.

Meanwhile Elliot had advanced very close to the perp, now standing only about ten feet away. The man looked satisfied and then stepped back into the room. Elliot followed, stopping as he got into the doorway. Three adults and four little kids were in the room, all looking terrified out of their wits. A second perp was walking around them. He then paused, looking up at Elliot. A smile came to his lips.

Elliot raised his gun, holding his gaze steadily on the man. "Let them go."

"As you wish Detective." The man replied, and then he began, "You know, I was disappointed to hear that Ethan had to kill her."

"What are you talking about?" Elliot spat, raising his gun.

"Oh sorry, you know Ethan as Nicholas Hunt. He said your wife was quite the little bitch as soon as she found out Riley was still in New York. Had to give her quite a bit of discipline, but he said she was pretty submissive after a while. But when he finished having his way with her, she still hadn't learned, so he took out his gun. Ethan said he hit her far harder than he intended. Poor thing. She didn't have to die."

"She isn't dead!" screamed Elliot, taking a step forward.

"Oh yes she is." The man said with a snicker. He then seized one of the kids and tossed him in the direction of the door. "Alright, everyone get out!"

Rufus' heart caught in his throat as all of the hostages came sprinting out of the building. He owed that Detective a lot. Then he realized it was all the hostages minus one. Riley wasn't among the group.

"You have to let her go!" yelled Elliot, pointing his gun at the man who held Riley.

"One second Detective." The man answered with a laugh, backing out the door once more. Elliot followed after, even though he knew he was not to go into the hall. He kept his gun leveled at the perp who held Riley as they moved farther back into the hall. "Okay. Now we can let her go." The man said calmly, moving to release Riley. He then slowly set down his gun. Riley went sprinting up the length of the hall to her father, then ground to a halt.

"Daddy!" she screamed. A third perp stepped from the shadows and fired. Elliot felt the bullet slam into his shoulder and he collapsed onto his side. Warm blood rushed down his arm and he gripped it tightly with one hand. A second shot hit him square in the chest.

"Come on, let's get out of here!" said the man, sprinting in the other direction. He passed in front of an open door. Another shot rang out. He fell dead with the snipers bullet in him. The other two perps looked at each other in panic, backing up against the wall.

Riley ran to her father, kneeling at side and shaking his shoulder furiously. Her hands came back soaked in blood. "Wake up! Wake up!" she screamed, now sobbing. She took his hand and held it against her cheek. Riley nearly jumped ten feet into the air when he squeezed back reassuringly.

Then Elliot's phone started to ring. Riley seized it with one hand and flipped it open. Her eyes widened and she yelled, "Mother! Mom, dad's not waking up! Please help! Mom!"

The two perps turned to stare at each other as the little girl talked to her mother- who was not supposed to be alive. They instantly sprinted forward. One swung his gun up violently; ready to smash it against the girl's head. Elliot immediately sat up, gun already in hand. But before he could fire two shots came out from behind the two men. They both collapsed.

Elliot lunged forward, grabbing Riley in his arms and covering her eyes with one hand. Riley threw her arms around his neck, crying softly against his chest. In the flurry of motion Riley had dropped Elliot's cell so that it switched off. On the other end of the line was Olivia, and the last thing she had heard were two shots fired.

Elliot looked up as he stroked his daughter's hair, seeing Rufus standing at the very end of the hall, just having come up the stairs. His gun was still raised and he appeared to be in shock.

He had thick dark hair, somewhat sprinkled with gray and a beard to match. His dark eyes held no warmth, and were simply cold and calculating. His little bitch had certainly outwitted him so far. Not only that, but she had joined forces with the former FBI agent, who was still deadly as hell if you got in his way. Apprehending her with him protecting her would be difficult. This highly irritated him. However, he was willing to be patient. As soon as Devon Masters left her side, then he would make his move. Olivia had wriggled her way out of tight spots before, but not this time. At last, she would finally be his. He didn't want her dead, at least not yet; he wanted her alive to see her life in ruins.

He had kept a distant eye on her for a long, long time, never really worried about her. And then she had joined the Special Victims Unit. Something changed in her then. Aside from the occasional extraordinarily tough case, she was content. But just when he thought she had found all the peace and happiness that she could ever have, given her past, Elliot Stabler had stepped into the equation. And for the past few years she had been in a sort of bliss one only finds when they are with the one person who truly loves them. She even had a bitch of a daughter that looked just like her. How someone could love her that deeply was beyond him. Elliot loved Olivia for exactly what she was- mouthy, strong willed, smart, stubborn, and passionate. This confused him too, for those traits weren't exactly appealing to him. Yes, she was drop dead sexy, and he could see why her partner would want to bang her, but certainly not marry her. Olivia Benson was a source of great mystery to him. She had had a far better life than he had, and that infuriated him. When she got knocked up a second time he had felt it was time to unleash some of that fury on her. And now little did she know she was headed straight for his grasp. And he would never let her go.


	6. Six

A/N: Omg, so I was bored and was looking through SVU pics on NBC's website, and they had added some new ones from upcoming episodes… and they had one of Alex!! Anyways, I found this really exciting so I thought I would share! I don't know if she's coming back or whatever, but we'll see! Here's the link… &Order:SpecialVictimsUnit/photo/2.html 

I hope you all enjoy this chapter… though I myself I am definitely more of a fan of next chapter! This one is sort of your basic linking piece. And I have had the most atrocious case of writer's block it isn't even funny! But now I think I am over it, so that's good...

Keep on reading and reviewing- the speed at which I write is directly proportional to how many reviews I receive!

Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine, not mine. It's almost sinking in, but not quite.

Elliot stood, holding his trembling daughter in his arms. Rufus lowered his gun, clicking it back into its holster. He shook his head and an apparent calm came over his face. "Your life was a lot more important than any information." Rufus stated simply.

"This is not your fault. Everything happened the way it had too. Nothing you could have done would have changed it. So don't go quitting, alright?" Elliot said, smiling slightly at the surprise on Rufus' face. After a second Rufus shook his head, and though he didn't smile, his eyes lit up a bit.

Outside Elliot and Riley were greeted by a large group of press, all climbing over each other trying to get pictures and scream out questions. The police were doing a fair job chasing them back, allowing Elliot to make his way over to an ambulance. Riley was more concerned for his injury than he was, watching intently as the paramedics performed first aid to the wound in his shoulder. Elliot was starting to feel a little light headed from blood loss, but smiled at his daughter despite it. "My daughter needs to go to the hospital as well, to get checked out." Elliot said to one of the paramedics, who nodded in response. He scooped Riley up in his arms, pulling her away from her father. Elliot sighed and leaned back onto the stretcher, hearing the ambulance doors slam and the sirens go on.

A few hours later Elliot was wide awake and anxious to leave the hospital. His surgery had been brief and the wound wasn't horrible. In fact, his bruised ribs from the bullet that was stopped by the vest hurt almost as much as the stitches in his shoulder. However, the doctors were adamant he stay overnight. He was delighted when Riley came trotting over to him, with her pediatrician and Casey's boyfriend, William, following close behind. "Daddy! You are okay!"

"Of course I am okay honey." Elliot answered with a smirk, picking her up and setting her in his lap. He looked up at her pediatrician and questioned, "How was she?"

"Fine, she said they were actually very nice to her, and there is no evidence of abuse or anything else." William said, knowing exactly what Elliot was thinking.

"Thank God. How's Casey doing?" Elliot questioned. Casey was still in the hospital after being shot.

"Much better! She is going to be released in a couple days." he answered, looking quite relieved.

Riley gave Elliot's gown a tug and giggled, "You look cute in a dress."

Elliot ruffled her hair and said, "Of course I do. I can make anything look good." Riley raised her eyebrows, looking skeptical. Elliot laughed and decided he wasn't going to wait for her to invalidate his statement and asked, "Why do you think you mother married me?"

At this Riley's eyes widened and she exclaimed, "Mom! She called you!"

Elliot stared and then reached over and grabbed his cell phone from the counter. The last number was one he didn't recognize, but it had a Colorado area code. He hit redial and hoped that he would catch her before she did anything to stupid.

Devon had had quite the challenge of calming down Olivia enough to get a coherent sentence out of her. The shots had been so loud that he had heard them, but like Olivia, he had no idea what was going on. He finally convinced her that they had to remain calm until they got more information. Thankfully she had relaxed enough to sleep her way through the final few hours of her IV, however restlessly. But the second Devon's phone rang she jumped awake, practically twitching with anticipation. "Hello?" Devon said, and after a second a smile came to his face. "Yes, she's doing fine. I will let you talk to her, so hold on just one second." He held the phone out to Olivia, who snatched it up and said hello.

"El!" Olivia shrieked after a second, "You're okay! How about Riley?"

Devon watched as Olivia questioned her husband incessantly for forty five minutes, a smile playing across his lips. He had gathered up from the conversation that Riley had been found and was perfectly fine, their friend Casey was getting better, and that Elliot was going to be fine, the bullet had done no severe damage. Finally she had to get off the phone because Elliot was getting screamed at by the nurses to get some rest- and to not use cell phones in the hospital. "I love you, Elliot." She said, and Devon assumed Elliot answered similarly, as she smiled broadly.

Devon looked at the clock on his phone once she had handed it back. "Well, I will go check with Ryder, see if we can get you out of here. And while I am gone, I expect you to eat something, alright?"

By the time he came back with Doctor Ryder, Olivia had eaten every bite of the food he had gotten for her. Ryder checked her out and then gave the okay. And so they headed deeper into the mountains. Around midnight Devon backed his truck into a sheltered alcove of pine trees and gently woke her up. "Olivia, put on your jacket, we have to use a different mode of transportation to get back to my house."

Olivia looked at him curiously, but slipped into the thick down jacket and ski pants he had given her. Devon tossed her a pair of gloves and then climbed out of the truck. They walked over to a little three sided shed, and Devon pulled the covers off of two machines. Olivia watched curiously and then heard a loud revving as the engines of one caught, bathing her in light. She looked down at the navy blue snowmobile that was shuddering to life. Devon pulled the yoke on the other one several times, and the engine finally caught, roaring loudly to life. He walked over to her and threw her a helmet. "Okay, just follow me. Snowmobiles are the only way to get back to my place in the deep winter. Lever on the left is the brake, right is the gas."

Olivia's eyes widened and she gulped. "Devon… I don't really think I can do this."

"Sure you can. It's a piece of cake. And the powder is too deep for us to be on one together, otherwise I would let you just be a passenger." He said, and then slipped the helmet over his head, jumping onto the seat of the snowmobile.

Olivia hesitantly walked over to hers and sat down. Devon gave her a thumbs up and then his machine took off, spraying snow up behind it. She squeezed the gas lightly, but didn't go anywhere. Squeezing it harder the snowmobile lunged forward so quickly Olivia found herself nearly going over the handlebars. She took a few deep breaths and tried again, slightly gentler this time. To her relief it sprang away and they followed the taillight of Devon's.

After about five minutes Olivia became very relaxed and was actually enjoying the experience. Up ahead she could see several lights glowing on both a house and a horse barn. Devon sped up slightly to climb an upcoming hill and Olivia happily followed suit. Then she noticed he sort of vanished after reaching the top. She sped up, confused by his disappearance. Olivia found out why he had disappeared way to late. The hill abruptly dropped off and her snowmobile eagerly jetted over the edge. After a few seconds of air time they hit the road again with a heavy jolt that sent Olivia flying sideways. She inhaled sharply, thinking that there was no way in hell that she was going to fall off a snowmobile. Gripping the handlebars tightly she scrambled back center and was breathing heavily when she finally stabilized.

They rode right up underneath the overhang of the garage and killed the engines. Devon clapped. "Way to go! You got more air than I did!"

Olivia was still recovering from the incident and snapped, "Oh, that's just wonderful." But a smile crept across her face anyway.

She looked up as the front door to the house swung open and a young woman with thick black hair came sprinting out. "Devon!" she exclaimed, jumping up into his arms. Devon swung her around once, and then set her down after kissing her briefly.

He put his arm around her shoulders and then said, "Olivia, this is my wife Reagan. Reagan, this is Olivia."

Reagan stepped forward, greeting Olivia with a pleasant smile. She shook her hand and then ushered them both inside. The rush of warm air felt wonderful and Olivia slowly slipped off her snow gear. Reagan silently appraised her outfit and then said, "Come on. You and I are about the same size. You can wear some of my clothes."

Olivia fell asleep around one that morning and didn't wake up until eleven. When she awoke she blinked sleepily, gazing around at the room. She was snuggled deep under a down comforter and flannel sheets, and was reluctant to leave the warm bed. Pictures hung on the walls of horses jumping things or running along the backdrop of gorgeous mountains. Slowly Olivia eased herself out of bed, listening to the noises coming from the kitchen. Devon was arguing with his wife over the correct way to make pancakes. Olivia smiled slightly and walked out, poking her head around the corner and looking into the kitchen. Devon smiled and waved. Reagan turned and grinned at her, saying, "Devon has insisted upon making pancakes. Unfortunately, he doesn't know how."

Devon glared at her scathingly as he flipped three over at a time. He then glanced down at them, finding them to be burnt black on the outside but still doughy on the inside. Reagan rolled her eyes and said, "Why don't you try again? This time use the ready made batter."

Olivia had to laugh and Devon glared at her too, though he too was having trouble keeping a straight face. As Olivia glanced around, she decided that whether or not the pancakes turned out they definitely wouldn't starve. There were already plates of waffles, hash browns, eggs, sausages, bacon, French toast, bread, kettles of steaming hot tea and coffee, and a large pitcher of orange juice. Devon seemed to catch her gaze and said, "This is a typical mountain breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day, with the exception of lunch and dinner." Olivia laughed and shook her head. Devon then looked over at his wife and told her, "Our friend here tipped the scales at the doctors at one hundred pounds."

Reagan turned to stare at Olivia. "Poor thing! He really did starve you, didn't he?"

Olivia flushed and said, "Well, he actually was giving me a sedative that made me lose my appetite and lose weight. I suppose he offered me food every once in a while."

Reagan was about the say something when a squawk from behind the couch made her turn around. "Maria! Jonathan!" she exclaimed, hurrying over. Olivia followed after, watching as Reagan peeled a little boy's hand from his sisters hair. Devon raised his eyebrows at his children and smiled. Reagan scooped up the girl who was crying and rubbing her hair. "It's alright honey!" The little boy was sitting looking smug, and then when his mother ignored him he started wailing.

"Here, I can help." Olivia said, kneeling down and picking up the boy. He immediately stopped crying and watched Olivia with interest.

"That's Jonathan. This is Maria." Reagan told her with a smile.

Olivia sat down on the soft couch, holding Jonathan very gently in her arms. He blinked up at her with bright blue eyes, smiling broadly as he stretched his hands toward her face, inadvertently wiping a tear from her cheek.

After Elliot hung up the phone he felt a great deal of relief. Olivia was alright, for the time being. He was just about to be forced back into bed when Cragen and Doctor Swanson came marching in. "Elliot, we need to talk to you about something." Cragen said, and the nurse looked very huffy as she stomped out.

"What's up, Captain?" Elliot questioned, and Riley turned to look at him from her place on William's lap.

"Well the Denver Police Department is livid about what happened with Hunt, and are desperate to redeem themselves. So they have bought you a round trip ticket to Colorado. Apparently Mother Nature is about to bestow quite the snowstorm there, so time is of the essence." Cragen said, "The DPD thought you would like to see Olivia."

Elliot looked at him suspiciously, "Okay… there's something else behind this, what is it?"

Cragen sighed and nodded.

Elliot was falling asleep as he handed the flight attendant his ticket the next morning. The flight attendant gave him a smile, and then did a double take as she looked at his face. "Oh my God! You're Elliot Stabler! I saw you on the news." she exclaimed so loudly that nearly everyone in a ten yard radius turned to look.

"Yes, that's me." Elliot muttered, flushing slightly.

"You were amazing, saving all those hostages…" she said, trailing off as she grinned at him.

"Thanks." Elliot said flatly, and with that he hurried forward.

Elliot slept nearly the whole flight to Denver, which he considered a gift because the whole plane wanted to talk to him and he just wasn't up to recounting the events of the day before. This was going to be an easy enough assignment. All he had to do was get to Olivia and in doing so he would draw out whatever crazy man had his sights on her. Piece of cake.

If only it would be that easy.

After eating so much breakfast she thought she would explode, Olivia leaned back in chair and shut her eyes. Devon snickered and asked, "Are you sure you don't want another waffle?"

"Oh God… don't even bring up the topic of food…" moaned Olivia, rubbing her stomach gingerly.

"Well I will be back in a couple hours. I have to go muck the horse's stalls." Reagan said, getting up from the table.

Devon frowned and asked, "I thought that's what you were paying Alfonso or Alec or whatever the hell his name was to do?"

Reagan sighed. "Yes, but truthfully, he kind of scared me. I don't know why. And so yesterday I come in from working Renegade, and I caught him hitting Royale. I told him he was fired and that I was going to run a background check. He totally freaked on me and split right then and there."

"Well, that's just wonderful. He could have killed you!" Devon exclaimed, becoming instantly protective of his wife.

"Not likely. I know where you stash all your guns throughout the barn. One was just within reach actually." Reagan said with a grin.

Devon looked quite ready to give her a lecture when his phone rang. He picked it up, listening silently for a while.

Olivia turned and asked Reagan quietly, "How long ago did you hire this guy?"

"Like less then a week ago." Reagan answered with a sigh. Olivia got a preoccupied look on her face and Reagan walked outside.

She trudged through the deep snow up to the barn, pondering weird old Alfonso. Just as she was about to go to work she realized she hadn't checked out the apartment over top of the stable where he had been living. She quickly hurried over to the door she had padlocked and undid it. It opened to a staircase. She raced up the stairs and glanced around the apartment. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but she was going to make sure.

As Reagan ambled slowly through it she could feel a rising sense of unease. She sat down at the desk, sifting through all the papers. Nothing much there either. Though she didn't know what she wanted to find, Reagan hissed in frustration, tossing all the papers to the floor. Standing up she knocked some books out of the way on the shelf. Still nothing. Reagan ran her hand through her hair and then turned. Immediately a paper on the floor caught her attention. It was buried amongst feed bills, farrier bills, and horse sales transactions. She dropped to her knees, yanking it out. Scanning it over her eyes widened and she inhaled sharply. Suddenly she heard someone coming up the steps. The door swung open.


	7. Seven

A/N: Well I got over my writer's block way faster than I thought I would! A new chapter nice and quick for you! Hope you enjoy this chapter, it's one of my favorites- lots of action and some good fluff (which is STRONG PG-13)! And thanks for the info on Alex, I am so excited!

Disclaimer: I own the plot, ha! But I still don't own SVU.

Reagan scrambled to her feet, hurrying to shove the paper inside her coat. Her breath was quick and she glanced around, trying to find anything she could to use as a weapon in self defense. When the door opened she nearly fainted from relief. "Olivia!"

Olivia looked at her in surprise. "Are you okay?"

Reagan started to nod, but then seemed to think better of it. "No. I had a bad feeling about this Alfonso guy. So after I fired him I padlocked his apartment. He left so fast he didn't take any of his stuff. Devon had been gone for a week when I heard the alarms going off in the barn, a day after he left. I have some high priced horses in here, including a stallion worth over two hundred grand. So I got my gun and went out. Someone had broken through the stable office door. It's solid metal with a dead bolt and no windows. So I knew they probably had some serious equipment, which doesn't really sound like the Alfonso I know. But I went in anyways. And this is the strangest part- I have a laptop, copier, digital camera, palm pilot, and all sorts of expensive electronics in that room, no of which were touched. When I got into the hall I could hear someone moving and shouted for them to freeze. Immediately they sprinted down the aisle and out the door. I flipped on the lights, and found bolt cutters lying on the floor, the padlock halfway cut off. And I just found this, I can't imagine anything else they would have wanted to get a hold of again."

She pulled the paper from inside her coat and held it out to Olivia, who took it and slowly read it over. It was an e-mail.

_Devon Masters is an ex-FBI agent with one hell of a trophy wife. Get a job working at her stable, so that way I can communicate with you faster when I get Olivia Benson. Now, be sure to maintain caution around Masters. He doesn't hesitate in killing anyone who threatens him or his family- and we must make sure he doesn't befriend Benson. I know he's in Denver right now so we are treading on thin ice. I told Hunt to be careful what he did to the bitch, Masters will notice if he smacks her around to much. Alfonso, I expect you to pull this off for me. You must keep Masters and his wife out of the picture. I don't need to have to murder more people than I already have. Murder investigations make it difficult for me to operate around. I just want Olivia back, that's it. _

After that followed the Masters' address and a brief summary of how to find them.

Olivia set her jaw in anger. What the hell was going on?

"I'm sorry." Reagan said, her eyes watering.

"It's not your fault!" Olivia exclaimed, giving the young woman a gentle hug. Reagan slowly nodded, wiping her eyes. Olivia folded the e-mail and slipped it into her pocket. "Come on. I should probably show this too your husband."

Devon was just hanging up his phone when he saw his wife and Olivia walk in, both looking rather upset. "What's up?" he questioned, standing and hurrying over to them.

Handing him the e-mail Olivia looked down as one of the twins crawled over to her, grabbing holding of her leg. She smiled as Jonathan looked up at her and extended her arm down to him. He seized her index finger and came to a shaky stand, eagerly nibbling on her wrist. Devon meanwhile had read over the e-mail and was in deep thought. "Well, I am not exactly sure what to do about this. But in the mean time, Olivia, you need to come on a ride with me."

Olivia nodded and hurried off to change into her warmer clothes. Devon then turned to his wife. "I need some time to figure this out. So you stay in the house. Lock all the doors. Don't leave."

"I don't understand what there is to not get about it," exclaimed Reagan, "It's obvious someone wants to kill her and doesn't want us in the way."

"See that's where the problem is- us. Think about it. Why would they only really be concerned about us? There were tons of people at those clubs in Denver that could have potentially helped her. Whoever wrote this didn't care about them."

"Maybe because you were FBI and are a lot more dangerous than any of the others?" Reagan offered, but she looked unsure.

"Maybe." Devon answered flatly, turning as Olivia walked back out.

They headed out into the cold and cloudy mountain air. Olivia immediately went to the snowmobile she had ridden in, laying an affectionate hand on its nose. "Where are we going?" Olivia questioned.

"You will see. I just got a call." Devon answered evasively as he started his machine. Olivia slipped her helmet over her head, clipped the jaw strap and then starting her own snowmobile. In no time she was following him out a slightly different way than they had come. This way they followed the woods closer, rather than staying in the wide meadows.

Suddenly Devon began to slow, smoke coming out in greater amounts from his machine. Olivia rode up beside him as he came to a shuddering halt. Devon slammed his fist against the kill switch for the engine, and Olivia followed suit. "What happened?" she questioned.

"I don't know. I think my sparkplugs must have gone out. It will take a while to change them." he answered, pulling up the engine cover. Then he turned back to her. "Look, just follow along the woods trail okay? I will catch up."

"What? When do I stop?"

"You'll know when to stop, believe me. Just keep going. It will probably take you at least fifteen minutes." Devon told her, and then added, "By the way, there's a gun in the back of your machine, so just in case… you have one."

Olivia nodded and started up the engine again, jetting off down the trail. Devon went back about working on the engine. He pulled the sparkplugs out, examining them carefully. Nothing was wrong with them. That was odd. Then he put them back in and checked some of his lines. His eyes widened. Someone had snipped both the oil and gas connections, effectively destroying the engine. He turned and seized his gun out of the seat storage on it and began running back to the house. He would have to get a horse and go after her. Devon hoped that the others would find her before whatever crazy man was after her.

Olivia had been going about fifteen minutes when she noticed a sort of fork in the trail. She stopped, examining it. One trail continued along the woods, the other went into it. She sighed in frustration; she had thought Devon would have told her about this. Cutting the engine Olivia climbed off the snowmobile and decided to explore the path through the woods on foot briefly, though she was almost positive that she ought to continue down the one that was along the outskirts. After hesitating for a brief moment she dug into the back pocket of the snowmobile, and sure enough found a forty-five hidden amongst the snowmobile maintenance equipment. She pulled it out, not quite sure why she felt the need to carry it. Checking the clip, she found it full and clicked it back into the gun.

She had walked for about five minutes when the path became very twisted and overgrown, with fallen trees everywhere. Olivia paused to catch her breath. She was still out of shape and was getting pretty sore from the exertion of hiking. The forest was quite still and shadows danced quietly across the sparkling snow. It was not a sparse forest, but a thick one, filled with closely clumped pine trees, fallen logs, stumps, thick bushes, and large stones. Olivia sighed and sat down. Now at least she knew to follow the other trail. She gently rubbed her thumb across the textured grip of the forty-five, noting how well taken care of it was.

A twig snapped. Olivia jumped, instantly on alert. After a second she was about to dismiss it as an animal when a larger shadow passed on the ground in front of her. Instantly on her feet with her gun in her hand she turned. Standing less then twenty feet away was a man, looking at her with sick interest. Then just as quickly he slipped out of sight in a clump of trees. Olivia kept her gun leveled, her heart pounding against her chest. The hairs on the back of her neck rose as she heard footsteps behind her.

She spun around, her finger already on the trigger. But no one was there. Olivia carefully checked around her and the sprinted back the way she had come, vigilantly running in a zigzag pattern. She ran for a while, then slowed and glanced around her again. From her right she could her the squishing of snow as it was stepped on, pausing moments after she stopped running. Olivia's throat was very dry and she gulped, backing up slowly. In the distance she could see her snowmobile. She knew she had to get to it. No one could catch her on a snowmobile.

"Olivia…" the voice was a quiet hiss, and her hands shook on the grip on the gun.

Wasting not another moment she took off in a run again, leaping fallen logs as she went. A shot rang out just behind her, ricocheting off a tree. She was so startled she tripped over a stone and fell. Luckily the snow braced her fall and she was able to scramble to her feet quickly. Firing once with her gun into the forest she then turned and raced to the snowmobile, very close now.

Olivia slid around the side of it, reaching out to grab the yoke. But it wasn't there. She looked around and saw the string attached to the handle part was cut, lying on the ground nearby. Her heartbeat sped up and was so loud that she could hardly hear anything else. The yoke was the only way to start it. She had to find a way to hotwire it.

Her fingers fumbled over the engine covers latches and she glanced at the inside. Frantically she searched for a way to hotwire it, but nothing presented itself. Olivia tore off her gloves, reaching down inside in the engine, trying to pull out some useful wires. Suddenly a pair of hands closed about her waist. She barely contained a scream, withdrawing her hands quickly. But one caught on a piece of metal and she felt a burning pain as she yanked it out, blood pouring across the top of her hand. Spinning around she reached frantically for her gun, but they grabbed her wrists.

"Olivia!"

She froze, looking closer at their face. "Elliot!" she screamed, throwing her arms around his neck, bursting instantly into tears.

Elliot stroked her hair, kissing her temple gently as she sobbed against his shoulder. "What's the matter?" he questioned gently, holding her to him protectively.

"There's someone in the woods. They know my name…" she murmured into his chest. After a second she looked up and saw a cute looking spotted horse standing behind him. "I like the ride!"

Elliot smirked and said, "I thought you would. Horses increase my sexiness level."

Olivia rolled her eyes and slowly let go of him, confusion setting in. "What are… how did you get here?"

Elliot didn't appear to be paying much attention anymore and said, "Liv… I will explain it later. Come on!"

She turned and saw briefly a man slipping through the woods. Elliot seized her hand and dragged her over to his horse. He quickly jumped on, then leaned over and picked her up, setting her gently on behind him. "Hold on!" he told her, kicking the horses sides. It instantly sprang to life, galloping off through the snow.

If the situation hadn't been so frightening Olivia would have enjoyed herself- holding on to the waist of the man she loved as they rode double back across the pristine Rocky Mountains. But as it was she couldn't wish for anything but for the horse to go faster. Elliot was a good rider, skillfully steering the horse across the path at such a high speed. Up ahead Olivia caught sight of another rider, coming at them at a sprint. Elliot pulled back on the reins of their exhausted horse, slowing it to a trot. The other rider caught sight of him and slowed as well.

"Devon!" Olivia cried in relief.

He smiled back at them, looking quite as relieved as she was. "We had better get back." He said flatly, looking up at the sky. Olivia and Elliot both glanced up, seeing it darkening quite threateningly. "Where's your escort?"

"The DPD sent one of their mounted officers with me, but his horse turned up lame and so I said I would be just fine by myself." Elliot answered.

Devon's horse abruptly snorted and half reared. "Storm's coming. And fast." Devon said, stroking its neck to calm it, "Let's go."

By the time they reached the stable, the wind had picked up severely and snow was beginning to fall in big fat flakes. Devon smiled knowingly at Olivia and Elliot after they had unsaddled their horses and rubbed them down. "You two can have the guest house. My wife has been getting it ready."

"Thanks Devon!" Olivia said, hugging him briefly.

Elliot shook his hand and said, "I owe you so much for helping her."

"It wasn't a problem. She's a sweetheart, she didn't deserve what he was doing to her." Devon answered, "Now, I don't know how bad this storm will be, but you guys have enough supplies for two weeks, so don't get worried. And I wouldn't worry much about the freak chasing after her either. Colorado blizzard's aren't to be messed with, especially in the mountains. Just get in the house, lock all the doors, and get ready for the long haul."

Olivia and Elliot had just gotten settled into the house when the snow began falling with a vengeance, made worse by the severe wind. The temperature was well below zero and the wind-chill even worse. Elliot finished putting logs on the fireplace as Olivia bandaged her hand. He turned and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her. "How did you get out here so fast?" Olivia questioned, looking into his bright blue eyes.

"Well the DPD bought me a plane ticket because they felt so bad about what happened and Doctor Swanson released me early." Elliot answered, "And so they drove me up here and gave me a horse to get back to Devon's. That's when I found you. They are planning to come and pick us up and escort us to the airport as soon as the storm lets up."

Olivia nodded and then pressed her forehead against his. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too." Elliot said, kissing her on the lips. He didn't have to wait long before she parted his lips with her tongue and wrapped her arms around his neck. His hands settled on her waist, rubbing her sides gently before slipping underneath the fabric of her top. Olivia shivered slightly as his cool hands came into contact with the soft skin on her belly. Suddenly she pulled away, asking, "How's Riley?"

"She's fine. I left her in the care of William and his two protective details." Elliot whispered, kissing her neck gently as he finished.

Olivia sighed in relief and allowed his hands to explore. He was very gentle around the scar on her abdomen and bruised sides. After a moment he picked her up in his arms, carrying her off the couch and into the bedroom. She grinned at him as he set her down on the edge of the bed. "Elliot… it's only three in the afternoon."

"I know. But we are in the middle of nowhere in the middle of a blizzard." he replied with a smile. Olivia laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. He slid her shirt off over her head and she pressed her lips too his, pulling him over on top of her. His hands slid to her pants, slipping them off quickly. He then picked her up and shuffled them both into the center of the bed. In this brief action he suddenly got a good look at her body. "What did he do to you?" he questioned, gazing at the thick bruises and welts that were now apparent.

Olivia shut her eyes and quietly answered, "He smacked me around pretty good a couple days ago. Used his fists and his gun."

"Did he…" Elliot began, but she shook her head. He wiped a tear from her cheek and continued, "We don't have to do this."

"No. I want to. You have no idea." She replied, kissing him passionately as she undid his pants. Wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck she kissed him with more fervor. He pulled them into a sitting position and she looked down into his eyes, tilting his chin up with one hand. "I love you, Elliot."

"I love you too." he answered, running his hand through her blonde hair. He smiled and pressed his lips to her collarbone as he undid the clasps to her bra.

Later that evening Olivia snuggled against Elliot's chest, exhausted but quite happy. He stroked her back and glanced out the window, where snow was still flying. Their breathing was still coming quickly and he felt her ribcage expand rapidly against his palm. He brushed a piece of sweaty hair from her face and said, "I will be back. Get some rest."

"Where are you going?" Olivia questioned as he kissed her forehead.

"I am going to take a shower. I won't be long." he said, getting up out of bed and walking over to the adjoining bathroom.

"Wait for me!" she exclaimed, hurrying in after him. Elliot grinned at her and put an arm around her waist as he switched on the water. Needless to say, the shower didn't end up being all that short after all.

A/N #2: Finally after four chapters of separation I have reunited our favorite detectives! I was feeling a little bit lost and confused having the two apart, it was difficult to write! Anyways, a nice fluffy scene for you all!


	8. Eight

A/N: Wow, I am proud. I didn't end last chapter on a cliffhanger! faints However, I will try not to make that mistake again! This is my last update before I start school tear so the next one might be slower in coming, but I promise it won't be longer than a couple weeks! Anyways, enjoy! Read and review! Thanks for the advice! Also, just in case you were curious Devon has got some friends in very high places, so that's how he succeeds in getting the information he does.

Disclaimer: Hmmm… I must be doing something wrong. I _still _don't own them.

Devon ran a hand through his hair. It was almost midnight but he couldn't get to sleep. He was still greatly bothered by everything he had read in the e-mail. He was missing something. His laptop hummed quietly on his lap. Devon tapped his fingers lightly against the keyboard, hoping to think of something. A pair of hands rested on his shoulders. He turned and saw Reagan smiling at him. "Devon, you really ought to get some sleep."

"I am fine." he answered dismissively.

"You aren't going to figure anything out when you're this exhausted." Reagan insisted, kissing the top of his head.

Devon read over the e-mail once more. His eyes widened as it suddenly hit him. "Get me the phone." Reagan handed it over to him, looking at him curiously. She heard the other line pick up and Devon began, "Hey Ben… Yes, I know it's late. Sorry. But could you do me a favor… run a background on Tyler Reverend… Yes, the full thing…"

Reagan sat down beside Devon on the couch as his laptop began receiving results of the background check. "Dev… I am not sure what you're getting at…" she said slowly, "Tyler's our neighbor."

"Exactly." Devon replied, and then double clicked the file that had just been sent to him.

As soon as they had gotten out of the shower and mostly dried off Elliot and Olivia climbed back into bed. She curled up against his chest, her arms draped over his sides. Elliot rubbed her back gently and fell asleep in no time.

Elliot woke late the next morning, feeling a little sore but incredibly rested. He looked around the room, Olivia nowhere to be seen. With a deep sigh Elliot slipped out of the bed and looked down at the floor where the saddlebag that contained his clothes was. It was open and so he suspected Olivia had borrowed some. He walked out of the bedroom into the kitchen, where Olivia was cooking breakfast. Sure enough she was wearing some of his boxers and an NYPD shirt. She didn't seem to notice him and so he wrapped his arms around her waist and tucked his head against hers. "Morning."

"Good morning," Olivia responded, turning to look at him, a bright smile on her face.

Elliot placed his hand on her hips and pulled her up against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her breath tickling his collarbone. "Last night…" he began, pressing his cheek up against her silky hair.

"Amazing, I know." Olivia answered with a smile, pulling away gently, "And I would love a repeat, but I do have to finish breakfast."

As they munched away on some pancakes and bacon, the snow outside showed no signs of stopping. After eating about seven pancakes Elliot leaned back, moaning in pain. "Dear God…" he mumbled, rubbing his stomach.

Olivia smirked and said, "Well Elliot, I can't say I feel sorry for you. You shovel food in so fast your stomach realizes way too late that it just can't hold anymore."

Scowling at her Elliot made his way over to the couch, where he flopped on his back. Olivia sat across from him in a large armchair, closing her eyes in contentment. But creeping into the back of her mind was a feeling of deep unease. Sure, she and Elliot were in a fancy cabin in the beautiful Rocky Mountains after having spent an incredible night together, but nothing changed the events that had transpired to get them there. "So Olivia, what exactly happened yesterday? I don't think I have ever seen you that scared before in your life." Elliot questioned, rolling over onto his side and gazing at her.

Olivia told him the story, starting with Reagan finding the e-mail and how she and Devon left after he received a phone call. "Now I know that it was the DPD calling about you, but at the time Devon wasn't letting anything on. His snowmobile broke down and so he sent me on ahead. I got to that fork in the road and decided to go down the other path on foot. I heard someone in the woods… and it was so eerie. Seriously, that forest was like something from a horror movie. And then I saw him…" Olivia said, swallowing the lump in her throat. "It was the most horrifying type of déjà vu, I recognize him from somewhere. I just can't place it."

"Great," Elliot sighed and then looked over at Olivia and halfheartedly joked, "This is just the vacation I wanted to take- running from a psycho chasing after my wife in the middle of the Rocky Mountains."

Olivia smiled, but couldn't shake the image of the man as he called her name.

They dozed most of the morning. Elliot woke first, stretching lazily as he flopped off the couch. He staggered sleepily over to the door, noticing that the snow outside had stopped. Jerking on the handle he finally convinced the door to swing open. His eyes widened as he was suddenly engulfed in a rush of snow falling in through the gaping doorway. It had been windswept well above the door and fell through when he opened it. Yelping when the snow hit his bare feet Elliot gazed outside. There was at least three and a half feet of snow on the ground, and the threatening sky promised more. He shook his head in amazement and shut the door.

Olivia woke up when she heard Elliot yell, and looked over as he closed the door, snow strewn all about the floor. "Good job," she laughed, walking over to help him scoop it up.

"I didn't think that would happen." he said defensively, getting up and throwing his armful into the sink.

After they had cleaned up the snowy mess Elliot's cell started to ring. He picked it up and then waved Olivia over. "It's dad!" he whispered, placing a hand over the receiver. Then he put the phone to his ear and said, "Stabler. Yes, were doing fine. Olivia is fine too, she's standing right here. You bet it snowed- we have at least three feet outside. Okay, talk to you then."

"Cragen?" Olivia questioned, and Elliot nodded.

"He just wanted to make sure you were alive." Elliot explained, grinning at her. Olivia sighed and absently brushed back her blonde hair. She couldn't wait until she could bring it back to her original color. "Hey, I think the blonde's cute. A little not you, but it doesn't look bad."

"Thanks." Olivia smiled at him, watching her with his baby blues.

A loud rapping on the door made both of them turn. Elliot immediately reached for his gun and stepped in front of Olivia. The lock turned and the door swung open. "Devon!" exclaimed Elliot in a relieved sigh as the ex-FBI agent slipped into the house. He had managed to clear enough snow from the door so that there was enough room to crawl through.

"Good morning, my friends." Devon said with a grin as he slammed the door shut again. His expression changed slightly after a second and he appeared to be hesitant about something.

Olivia instantly noticed and asked, "Devon, what is it?"

"Olivia… I think I found whoever is after you." Devon said, taking a gulp of air as he continued, "I got his background checked and…"

"Who is it?" Elliot questioned, pulling Devon around to face him.

"It's… Tyler Reverend, my neighbor." Devon told him, and at the shock on Elliot's face he quickly supplemented, "Neighbor is a relative term, he lives a couple miles away in a secluded little cabin."

"How do you know for sure?" questioned Olivia, her eyes wide.

Devon sighed and pulled a photo out of his jacket pocket, carefully pressing it to his chest so she couldn't see it. "That e-mail didn't make sense until I realized that whoever it was would have to live near to me, since he was worried about me getting in the way. There are three properties in this area, and it's surrounded by thousands of acres of national forest. One is an old married couple's, one is mine, and the other is Tyler's. So I had a friend of mine from the Bureau run a background on Tyler. He is originally from New York, and was arrested several times for assault. He did some time, but got out several years back."

Olivia and Elliot glanced at each other. "Great. How soon can we get out of here?" Elliot asked.

Devon shook his head and said, "I don't know, tomorrow hopefully. We can get out on horseback by that time anyways. But that's not it. I don't know how to say this." He glanced over at Elliot and then to Olivia, pain quite evident in his eyes. "I had a gut feeling about this guy, when I saw his picture."

With a shaking hand he held out the photo to Olivia, and she took it. "Oh my God… that's the guy I saw in the woods." Dark eye stared back at her… eyes hauntingly similar to her own. Olivia's stomach twisted in anguish as she started to realize…

Devon looked like he would rather kill himself than say the rest of what he knew. Olivia looked up at him and took him by the shoulders, "Devon, what else?"

"I saw that picture and I, well looked at your profile…I saw that you didn't have a father listed. So I got Tyler's DNA results; they are in the system for a rape he committed about ten years ago. And so I had my friend expedite another test with your DNA, also in the system from that paternity test you took a while back. Please don't mention anything about the DNA though to anyone else, I definitely pulled a bunch of strings. But… it's positive." Devon mumbled, resting his hand on her cheek, "I am so sorry."

"Positive?" questioned Elliot, putting his arms around Olivia's waist.

Devon nodded, "Tyler Reverend is her father."

For the rest of the day Olivia was very detached, her eyes distant and lost. Elliot tried to get her to talk, but she pushed him away. Finally that night after Elliot had gotten out of the shower he walked into the bedroom, finding Olivia dozing on her back. He slipped under the covers next to her and she immediately rolled over away from him. "Olivia, you are not going to shut me out. None of this is your fault." Elliot said, grabbing her shoulder and pulling her back to him.

"Elliot, I don't want to talk about it! Just leave me alone!" she exclaimed, a tear running down her cheek.

"Liv… you have always needed closure. Now you can get it." Elliot told her, scooting closer to her and taking her hands.

Olivia nodded slowly. "Closure? I thought that the worst crime my father would have committed would have been the rape of my mother. Now because of him that firefighter was murdered, our daughter was kidnapped, Casey was shot, and our son was killed. Who knows what other harm he has caused."

Elliot took her face in his hands and told her firmly, "And that is not your fault. We are all victims in this." He pressed his lips to hers, tasting the saltiness of her tears. Slowly she relaxed against him, stroking his chest with her hands. Elliot pulled away, gently running his hand over her cheek.

"It all makes sense now…" Olivia said quietly, trailing off

Olivia slept fitfully that night, Elliot doing his best to comfort her when he woke from his own troubled sleep. The morning couldn't have come soon enough. They both got dressed quietly, not saying one word to each other. But the silence was comforting, not hostile. They walked out of their guest house, wading through the deep snow as they made their way to Devon's house. Elliot knocked loudly on the door. No one answered. Olivia's brow furrowed as she listened. "Elliot, the kid's are crying in there." She reached out and turned the handle.

There were definite signs of a struggle. Glass was broken on the floor and chairs were overturned. Olivia hurried forward and just behind the couch laid Devon. He was breathing, but other than that lay quite still. She knelt by his side, shaking his shoulder gently. He didn't respond. "Come on, Devon. You have to wake up." She said, running her hand across his forehead. It was cold. She quickly looked around and found a syringe lying on the floor. A sedative.

"Liv… look at this." Elliot said, and Olivia stood. He held out a piece of paper to her. Olivia took it, gazing at the sloppily scrawled out message-

_I have the wife. You know where to find me._

Devon began to stir on the ground. Elliot looked down at him and pulled him up off the floor, setting him gently down on the couch. He took a shuddering breath, his eyes were unfocused as he slowly opened them. "Olivia… it was him…" he gasped out, before shutting his eyes once more.

Elliot shook his shoulder. "Devon, you have to wake up. We are going to go and get your wife back, but you have to watch your kids." Devon nodded, doing his best to open his eyes again. Olivia gestured Elliot over and they walked into the bedroom, wheeling the crib out and over to the couch. Jonathan and Maria had stopped crying and were happily reaching out to them. "Be good for your dad." Elliot told them, and with that he hurried out the door. Olivia paused for a second and then squeezed Devon's shoulder.

"We will get her back."

"Take… my horse…" Devon said shakily.

Elliot and Olivia had saddled their horses in record time, hurrying out of the stable. As soon as they reached the snow covered road Elliot kicked his horse into a canter. Olivia couldn't help but smile as they rode through the deep snow, the horses giving extra leaps with every stride. "Liv… where exactly does he think you know to meet him?"

"It's that fork in the trail. His house is back in those woods." Olivia answered, kicking her horse so that they caught up to him.

"You ride really well." Elliot commented, looking at the natural way she held herself on the horse and the softness of her hands on its reins.

"Thanks." Olivia said with a smile.

It took them a half hour to reach the other trail and they knew instantly when they had. A man stood right at the fork. As they got closer they saw he had Reagan held tightly in his arms, a gun pressed against her temple.

Olivia and Elliot drew their horses to a halt about ten feet from him. A smile came to Tyler's lips as he looked over at them. He slowly let go of Reagan, though he kept the gun on her head. "Olivia. Finally we meet. Now you come over here and I will let her go. I only want you."

Olivia slowly dismounted her horse and took a hesitant step forward. Elliot immediately leapt off his own horse and grabbed Olivia's arm. "Don't."

"Elliot, I have to do this. On my own. No one else is going to die on my account. Let me do this." Olivia whispered, pulling her arm away from his. She walked over to Tyler, who grabbed her arm and gave Reagan a hard shove to the ground.

"Hope you don't mind sharing your wife. My friend is quite eager to meet her." he said. His smile widened as he ambled over to where he had his horse tethered to a tree, dragging Olivia after him. Suddenly she twisted away, fighting against his hold. Tyler furiously hauled her back to him, striking her across the back of her head with his gun. She went still.

Elliot's hands shook as he glared at Tyler, who merely stroked the side of Olivia's face with one hand, keeping the other tight on his gun. "And Detective Stabler, do not follow us. I would probably have to kill her."

A/N #2: Sorry if this chapter was confusing at all,I promise next will bring itall together!But please review, the story has probably only got a couple chapters plus the epilogue left.


	9. Nine

A/N: Wow, did you guys see Contagious? I have to admit, I was crying at the end it was so cute! And man oh man that smile Elliot gave Olivia when Maureen said she had called them!!!! Anyways, read and review please!! There's about two more chapters left after this.

Olivia pulled her knees protectively to her chest, resting her head on top of them. Her back was pressed up against the wall and the cold cement was rough and uncomfortable. The ground was wet and chilly, even with the blanket she was sitting on. Tyler had dragged her into his basement and thus the only light was a small bulb hanging from the ceiling. He had left her there for at least an hour by herself. This had given her ample time to analyze her situation. She had walked the basement, finding it to have one exit, which he had locked, and no windows. And oddly enough, it was completely barren. There were no boxes or anything.

She jumped to her feet the second she heard the bolt scrape across the door as it opened. Tyler looked down at her with mild interest as he shut it behind him. "I suppose you are wondering why I brought you here." Olivia folded her arms across her chest and indignantly raised her chin, remaining silent. Tyler sat down on the steps, appearing to be amused. He traced his fingers lightly along the barrel of the gun he held in his hand. "So… you are in your late thirties now, correct?"

Olivia nodded stiffly and said cynically, "You are an amazing mathematician."

"My, my. You have got quite the little attitude, don't you?" Tyler said, his face never changing from its mildly interested look, "Now, I have promised my friend that he can have you when were through, so if you want to shape up a little bit, perhaps I can give you some answers."

"What kind of answers could I possibly want from you?" spat Olivia, glaring over at him.

"Well, to start perhaps shed a little light on your identity." he answered, seeming impressed with his own sensibility.

Olivia opened her mouth to form some sort of angry retort, and then she paused. A smirk came to her face as she realized that Tyler had no idea that she knew he was her father. "Wow. Do you honestly think I haven't known you were my father?" Tyler's face contorted slightly, the first sign of a change of emotion Olivia had seen from him.

"You didn't know."

"Yes, actually I did."

"Then why did you never seek me out before?" Tyler questioned, regaining his composure, though he still looked disappointed he didn't have that piece to play anymore.

Olivia smiled, carefully weighting each word, "Well, Tyler it was not really a matter of knowing. It was more a matter of caring. I really had no desire to find you. Tell me, why on earth would I want to go see my mother's rapist?"

This comment registered quite the reaction from him. Tyler hauled himself up off the stairs and ran over to her, grabbing her by the sweater and dragging her up against him. The gun pressed to her chest didn't seem to faze her as she gazed at him out of calm eyes. He glared back down at her, his breath hot on her face, "You ought to have more respect than that. Maybe I should just kill you now."

"Oh I wouldn't do that. Your friend would be disappointed." Olivia said, shoving the gun away from her chest.

Tyler calmed slightly and said, "Well, you can deny that you didn't seek me out at first, but you are here now."

"Yes, because you had your little assistant lure me out." Olivia snapped, then she added, "Plus it seems to me you are the one who is concerned with finding me. You sure developed quite the elaborate scheme."

Tyler ignored her last comment and smiled. "I know you better than you think. You came to Colorado looking to find redemption. Your life fell apart in front of your eyes and you could do nothing. That was the fun part, for me. I had watched you all your life, and it became evident that it was far better than mine. So I did what I could to change that. Tell me Olivia, have you found your redemption?"

Olivia stared at Tyler. She refused to verbally acknowledge even an ounce of validity in what he had said, though her heart pounded knowing that it was true. Her face gave it away. He smiled and said, "You and I both know that's what you came for. But moving on, I have something to show you."

He led her back upstairs, keeping his gun out. They walked into a side room and he flipped on the light switch. Olivia's eyes widened. Spread all over floor were photo's of her, spanning from the time when she was little up until the week before her accident. The skin on the back of her neck prickled at the thought that he had been watching her that long.

"I caught up with you about once a year. Took some pictures and then disappeared. But these are by far my favorites." Tyler said, and he grabbed two newspapers from the shelf. The two that she and Elliot were on the cover of. "You two have quite the bond." Olivia glanced over all the pictures and then saw one that caught her attention. A photo of her at her son's grave. Tyler followed her gaze. "Thought you might like that one. Elijah James Stabler- I am really surprised you bothered to name him. He only lived what, four hours?"

Olivia whipped around, her fist colliding with his jaw. Tyler fell back in surprise and she hissed, "Yes, that's right, and it was because of you!"

Tyler gasped in anger at her, taking a swing at her face. She easily ducked and kicked him in the knee. He lunged forward, grabbing her in his arms and coming crashing down on top of her. Olivia smacked the ground hard and immediately struggled to free herself. Tyler grabbed his gun and put it against her temple. "Don't move." he whispered, his voice deeply venomous. She froze, her breathing quick and erratic.

"Tyler! You promised I could have her all to myself," a slow drawling voice said.

Tyler dragged himself up off Olivia and nodded. Olivia leapt to her feet, backing away slightly. The other man stepped into the room and Tyler walked out, but not before pausing and saying, "Don't worry. I will be back for you when he finishes."

With that he slammed the door. Olivia could hear the bolt sliding back from the outside. She looked wildly around, seeing a small window at the back of the room. If she really worked at it, she could fit through it.

"Olivia Stabler, I have wanted you for a long time." The man said, taking a few hurried steps towards her. Olivia could feel her pulse pounding through her veins as he grabbed her arms, dragging her up against him. She turned away as he tried to kiss her, earning a good hit to the abdomen. As she doubled over in pain, she suddenly realized what she could do.

Elliot threw Reagan Olivia's horses reins. "Are you hurt?" he asked, glancing over at her.

"No. He didn't do anything to me." Reagan answered, throwing the reins over the horses head and getting on its back. She turned and began to walk away. Elliot slowly mounted his horse and then stood still. Reagan looked back and called, "Elliot, come on! We have to get back before the storm starts up again!"

Elliot smiled slightly. "Go on without me. Hurry back, your husband needs you."

Reagan stopped and spun her horse around immediately. "Elliot, you can't go after her on your own! You could get killed!"

"Don't worry about me, Reagan. I'm a cop. It's my job." he answered, and impatiently took up his horse's reins, backing it up a few steps.

Reagan hesitated again and he gave her quite the glare. After a moment she sighed, "You are quite brave, Elliot Stabler. Take care. And, if you can tell Olivia thanks. I owe her my life."

"I will, you can count on it." Elliot promised, watching as she nodded and kicked her horse into a gallop.

Elliot's sturdy little police horse snorted. Elliot laughed and patted its neck. "It's just you and me now," he glanced up at the sky that was growing menacingly grey, "and of course the wonderful weather."

Reagan galloped back to her house, the horse soaking with sweat by the time they reached it. She ran inside and found Devon up wandering around the kitchen. "Reagan!" he exclaimed, turning and hugging her tightly.

"How are you?" she questioned, looking at him in concern.

"Not bad. I hit the wall a little harder than I thought though," Devon said, and Reagan noticed how carefully he guarded his right side, "and I have the worst hangover ever from that sedative."

Reagan smiled but was more than a little worried about the injury to his ribs. "Tyler has Olivia. He had her trade places with me."

Devon cursed furiously and slammed his fists down onto the table. "I should have been ready for something like this."

"None of us expected it! Besides, you put up quite an admirable fight against him even after he sedated you," Reagan said, remembering the episode quite vividly, "he isn't going to be waking up comfortable for a couple weeks!"

"Well it's a good thing I called the cops already." Devon said.

"You did?" Reagan questioned, her eyes wide.

"Yes. But it will take them a couple hours to get here, with the roads blocked and everything." Devon replied, glancing over at the clock. Reagan followed his gaze. That was a long time to wait. Unless…

"Elliot went after her." Reagan said.

"What?!" shrieked Devon, "He is going to get himself killed!"

"I tried to get him to come back but he wouldn't." Reagan said in frustration. Devon gave her a squeeze on her shoulder and then began to walk away. "Where are you going?"

"To meet the police. They will need some help when they reach the end of the road."

Reagan watched him suspiciously as he ran out the door, sneakily grabbing his gun from the shelf. As soon as he had stepped outside Devon hesitated. He put his gun into his jacket pocket and then ran to the back shed. Sifting through a crate he found the long lock box. He opened it up, pulling out his old sniper rifle. It was still in excellent repair. Taking it carefully up he turned and raced out the door.

He headed off down the road in opposite direction, knowing he had to stall slightly. He and the horse trotted around exploring the roadside for an hour, and then began the trek into the forest. Elliot kept the horse at a slow walk so that they moved quietly through the deep snow. Staying carefully in the path carved by Tyler's horse so not too arouse any suspicion by extra paths, Elliot followed it for about a half hour. Then in the distance he could see a small cabin, smoke furling up out of the chimney. Elliot turned and rode back a ways so that he was again out of sight. He slid off the horses back and tied its reins to a tree. "Be good," he told it, and then he made his way up to the cabin.

Elliot crept up the path to the house, carefully hiding behind trees and rocks periodically to check around. As he slipped behind a large clump of bushes he heard the roar of an engine. He glanced over and saw a man speeding off in the opposite direction on a snowmobile. As soon as the sound had faded Elliot sprinted over to the porch of the house, where the door was slightly ajar. Elliot seized the handle and jerked it open. Loud screams and crashes made his heart leap in fear. He raced through the living room and down a hall. A final shriek seared through the air before a loud thud and then silence befell the cabin. Elliot turned and saw a thick bolt on the outside of a door. Throwing it back he shoved the door open. Inside he found Olivia standing shaking slightly as she stood back against a wall. Her jaw had a huge bruise on it and her lip was bleeding. The blonde in her hair was now accented with blood oozing from a gash on her head, and her clothes had several tears. On the floor lay a man, who was knocked out cold. "El!" she exclaimed, running over to him, dropping the metal lamp she had been holding.

"Are you okay?" Elliot questioned, his eyes dark with worry.

"Yes. I knocked him out with the lamp before he could do much." Olivia answered, though her voice was wavering from adrenaline.

"Come on. We have to get out of here." Elliot said, grabbing her hand.

They sprinted outside, racing down the path, Elliot never releasing Olivia's hand. Just as they came into sight of Elliot's horse a light snow began to fall from the sky. Elliot quickly pulled the knot from the horse's reins, tossing them over its head. The loud shriek of a gunshot rang through the air. The horse jumped, the bullet ricocheting inches from his feet. Elliot turned and but couldn't see anyone. He listened harder, hearing the low rumble of a snowmobile's engine. Tyler was back.

Olivia had already jumped on the horses back and was yelling for him to get on. Elliot didn't wait a second longer, leaping on and holding tight to Olivia's waist. She kicked the horse's sides and it sprang forward, snow flying up in great sprays under its feet. Elliot could hear the snowmobile approaching, coming faster and faster. Olivia seemed to know this as well, as she was urging the horse into a sprint. A second shot rang out, hitting a tree nearby. The snowmobile was much closer now. "Come on, buddy! Faster!" screamed Olivia to the horse, who was now soaked with sweat, lather spread all over his neck. Despite this, he suddenly found another gear, stretching his legs out as far as they could possibly go.

But Tyler was driving his snowmobile recklessly fast and he caught up to them, swerving to the side. The horse jumped out of the way and off the path. There the snow was much deeper and they instantly slowed. Olivia slammed her heels into the horse's ribs, desperately trying to get it to speed up. It responded as best as it could, but suddenly his legs slammed into a fallen log hidden beneath the snow. Elliot felt a horrible lurch as they went flying off to the side. The horse recovered fairly quickly, standing and nudging Olivia to get her to wake up. She slowly opened her eyes, totally disorientated. It nibbled her hair, breathing heavily against her ear. Olivia sat up and moved over to Elliot, who wasn't moving.

"El! Come on, wake up!" Olivia exclaimed, gently stroking his face. She glanced over at the horse, who had frozen. Its eyes were wide in terror as the snow crunched loudly behind it. Olivia turned back desperately to Elliot, who hadn't moved as muscle. She wrapped her arms around him, attempting to haul him up off the ground.

"Well, well. Now I have both of you. Things just keep getting better and better." A pair of icy hands closed over mouth and waist, dragging her backwards. Olivia couldn't help it. She screamed.


	10. Ten

A/N: Okay, this is the last chapter, but there will be an epilogue… Read and review!! :) Oh, does anyone know Kathy's maiden name?? If you would like too enlighten me, feel free, but in the mean time I am gonna make one up! Also, sorry for how long it took to get this up, I was busy writing the epilogue for this instead of focusing on the current chapter!

Olivia's muffled scream immediately put the horse into defense mode and it sprinted forward, slamming a shoulder into Tyler. He cursed loudly, yanking out his gun. Olivia kicked some snow up into the air so that he lost sight of his target. The bullet grazed the horse's hindquarters and it jumped to the side and then galloped away. Olivia felt thick ropes go around her wrists as Tyler threw her up against the snowmobile. He then blindfolded her and she felt him yank up her sleeves. "I should have done this to begin with." Tyler muttered as he jammed a needle into her arm. Olivia felt an instant heat race up her arm. The blindfold came off seconds later, not that it mattered. She was overcome by the drug and she collapsed, her eyes closing as she slipped into a dreamless sleep.

The horse raced back along the path, quickly reaching the fork in the road. Slowing to a shuddering halt he stood and panted, his limbs shaking from exhaustion. Then he lifted his head, hearing noises in the distance. He watched as several police on horseback and snowmobiles came swarming up around him. A man reached forward, taking a hold of his reins. The police officer gently stroked his shaking neck and looked at the shield on his saddle pad. "He's one of ours." The man said, indicating the DPD gear on the horse.

"That's right. Elliot Stabler was riding him." The police looked up and saw a man sitting atop a tall white stallion.

"Who are you?"

"Devon Masters." He answered, his horse shifting nervously below him.

The group of policemen looked at one another and then asked, "Can you show us where they are?"

"Just follow this path until you get to a cabin. They are going to be in there."

"Right…" the lead officer said, and Devon kicked his horse off. "Where are you going?"

"I am going ahead of you. Trust me." Devon called over his shoulder as the horse broke into a gallop.

When Olivia came too she found herself once again in Tyler's house, leaned up against the wall in the main room. Her vision swam and her body shook from cold. Elliot was next to her, much to her relief sitting up with his eyes open. "El…" she whispered, her breathing ragged. He looked over at her, his eyes glossy and unfocused, revealing that he had obviously been sedated in the same manner that she had. He was bound at the wrists and tied to a thick metal pipe.

"Well now that you two are finally awake, we have a little business to take care of." They both looked up and saw Tyler and his friend standing smugly. Olivia glanced weakly at the bonds on her wrists and futilely tugged at them. The man she had knocked out earlier came over and punched her in the jaw and then kicked her several times in the stomach. She fell over onto her side, far too weak to do anything to resist. He proceeded to roll her over onto her back and fumble with her belt. Olivia could hear Elliot jerking against his restraints furiously and screaming her name. Meanwhile Tyler spoke above the din. "So Olivia, how does it feel? Being a victim? Like mother, like daughter."

Suddenly the man stopped, looking back behind him. Olivia panted in fear as he slowly removed his hands from underneath her shirt. He hadn't gotten all the way yet, but she knew it was only a matter of seconds. "Tyler, do you hear that?"

Tyler nodded and went to his window. Dozens of snowmobiles and horsemen were surrounding his cabin, all with the police insignia. "God damn it!" he shrieked, "The police are here."

The man abruptly got up off of Olivia and backed up. Tyler pulled out his gun, dropping the clip as he did so. He loaded three more bullets into it and then slammed it against his hand. It slid in easily and clicked loudly. "I am sorry, but this just changes things." He said, and then spun on Elliot. The safety of the gun went off and his finger squeezed the trigger. A loud gunshot rang through the room, accompanied by shattering glass.

"Elliot!" Olivia screamed, and he looked over at her, completely unharmed. She turned and saw Tyler standing in absolute shock, blood pouring from a large bullet hole in his chest. He collapsed seconds later. The other man panicked and sprinted out the door with his hands on the back of his head.

Olivia crawled over to Elliot, pressing her head to his chest. Minute's later police came rushing in, cutting the bonds on their wrists free. One picked up Olivia gently, wrapping a blanket around her. She put her arms weakly around his neck, her breathing still ragged. They made their way outside, Elliot being helped by two other officers. The sedative was powerful, and its effects were still quite strong on them. Two paramedics immediately rushed over, checking them out for injuries. Olivia was still numb and was completely zoned out as they asked her questions. Elliot wasn't much better, though when a familiar face showed up, he recognized it instantly. "Hey buddy." he mumbled to the little horse, who had ambled over and was eying him curiously.

Olivia looked up and saw a man on a white horse approaching, looking rather ghostly amongst the swirling snow. Devon Masters smiled down at her, dropping his sniper rifle to the ground as he was approached by police. "Sorry, Mr. Masters, but are going to have to place you under arrest." One officer said, and Devon nodded.

"I know." he responded, and with that dismounted his horse.

Olivia stood a little too quickly and said, "Wait. He had too. Tyler was going to kill Elliot!" Devon quickly reached out and caught her as she lost her balance and fell. He set her back down and then allowed the police to put cuffs on him.

"Olivia, you're a cop, you know they have to. I will be fine." Devon said confidently.

Elliot looked up at him and said, "Thanks, Devon."

"For what?"

"For having our backs." Elliot answered.

Devon grinned and then said simply, "When I was in the FBI, that was my job."

Elliot nodded and watched as they led him away. He glanced over at Olivia, who still looked shell shocked. "You okay?"

"I have been better. But at least you are alive, that's all that matters to me." Olivia answered, brushing a piece of hair from her eyes.

Elliot smiled at her, reaching out and taking her face in his hands. "And now you have closure."

Olivia nodded, and then got a slightly distant look in her eyes. "And now I have found my redemption."

They were quiet for a few minutes, feeling as the drug slowly slipped out of their systems. A loud voice suddenly interrupted their thoughts. "Mr. and Mrs. Stabler? We must be going." They looked up and saw the lead officer looking down at them in concern.

The snow had started up again with a vengeance as they made their way from Tyler's cabin. It became quite clear that they wouldn't make it very far but the police didn't seem worried. When Elliot inquired to Officer Charles he replied, "We talked to the old couple living up here. They are closer than Devon's house, and said we would be welcome to stay until the snow lets up."

Elliot nodded, thinking that that was very nice of them to let a bunch of cops bunk out with them. Tyler's friend had already been rushed out to the waiting police trucks on the fastest police horses, so at least they didn't have a perp to deal with. And Tyler's body had been bagged and picked up by helicopter, so they had that taken care of. But Colorado weather wasn't about to let them all get out that night. Devon was still with them, making friend with all the cops. His cheerful personality and witty remarks had them quite amused; no one seeming all that concerned about the fact that he had just shot a man. Devon was remarkably unaffected by the shooting, somewhat surprising to Elliot, who had felt awful all the times he had killed someone. However, he guessed that since Devon had made his living being a sniper in the FBI he had been trained very well to dull his emotions.

Olivia was quiet on the ride to the old couple's cabin, still sifting through all the events of the day and trying to gain some amount of understanding of them. She had found her father, he had tried to have her raped and killed, and then he had been killed in turn. Their police horse, named Lucifer, Olivia had found out, stepped lightly through the snow, making prints that were soon swept away by the wind. She glanced over Elliot's shoulder, eying the majestic mountains surrounding them. Their serene indifference put her slightly at ease, despite everything. Olivia sighed. These mountains have strange effects on people.

Elliot reached back with one hand, resting it lightly on her thigh. Olivia took in gently in hers and kissed the back of his neck tenderly. The snow was reaching quite a pitch now, and they were quite relieved when they saw bright lights of a cabin in the distance. There was a corral with two other horses in it, contentedly eating hay as they watched the arrivals. One of the policemen came up and took Olivia and Elliot's horse from them, putting him away with the others. They made their way slowly up to the door, Elliot leading the way with Olivia tucked carefully against his side.

He knocked on the door and then glanced back to see the other officers in their group putting the snowmobiles underneath the wide overhang to a shed. The door opened seconds later, showering them all with warmth and light. An amused looking old gentleman stood there, and Elliot's jaw dropped. "Well, well, well. If it isn't Elliot Stabler. Last time you showed up at my door with a pretty girl in your arms it was my daughter." Olivia's eyes widened as she looked at Kathy's father. He turned his attention to her and then said, "And Olivia Benson. His partner in every sense of the word." Olivia flushed and glanced at Elliot, both thinking the exact same thing. _Well, isn't this awkward?_

But Mr. Grant didn't keep them at the door long before welcoming them into the house. The police followed, all seeming a bit uncomfortable with their accommodations. Olivia seriously doubted that they had ever done a mission like this one.

Late that night Olivia and Elliot lay on the couch together, watching the fire curling and licking in bright orange flames in the hearth. Elliot stroked Olivia's stomach, tracing his hand lightly over her scar. After a while he questioned quietly, "You said that you had found your redemption earlier… I was wondering, what exactly did you do wrong to need it?"

"That's just it. I was looking to find a way to change who I was, because I thought that's what had caused everything bad that's happened. I was trying to fix the damage, to find a way to make me feel better about myself. But it was my father who helped me realize that I can't change who I am, no more than I caused the events of late. He was right; I came here trying to find redemption. And I suppose I did, in a sense. I realized I didn't need it." Olivia answered, turning slightly to face him.

Elliot smiled at her. "That's my Liv. You are who you are, someone I love every last bit of. We have had a rough few months, but it wasn't your fault. And you did everything you could to make things right again. That, my dear, is what makes you the great person you are."

The snow was beginning to slow outside. Olivia fell asleep in Elliot's arms, for the first time knowing her identity and accepting it.

In what seemed like minutes they were awakened and quickly escorted outside to head back to Denver. As they stepped through the deep snow Elliot glanced over and saw Mr. Grant throwing some hay to the horses. He paused and smiled at him. Mr. Grant smiled and said, "Good bye Elliot. Good to see you again. I am glad that you are happy. And Kathy is happy now. So no hard feelings, okay?"

"Nope. Thanks." Elliot answered, shaking his hand. Mr. Grant watched as he trotted down the driveway to his wife, who was waiting very patiently, a knowing sort of look on her face.

Elliot and Olivia stayed in Colorado three more days, tying up loose ends of business. These included making statements on Devon's behalf and filing charges against Franco Martinez, the other man who had tried twice to rape Olivia. On their last night in Denver Elliot was flopped on his back watching Lord of the Rings on TV when Olivia walked back into the room. They were staying in a rather extravagant hotel- one that included its own spa, beauty salon, and gym. He smiled broadly when he saw she had taken her hair back to its original chestnut color, and they had styled it in very cute loose ringlets. She lay down beside him and he kissed her firmly on the lips. "I love it."

"Thanks." She said, flushing slightly. He took her forearms and pulled her over on top of him, resting his hands on her hips. She gently placed her lips on his, inviting much more with her hands sliding up and down his chest. Elliot gladly opened his mouth further and placed his hand on the back of her neck, pressing her harder against him.

They didn't get much sleep that night.

Olivia and Elliot sat at the airport, eagerly waiting for their flight to announce boarding. Olivia was eating her way through her third meal of the day- and it was not even three in the afternoon yet. She was still trying to regain some of the weight she had lost during her week's lack of food. Elliot watched her with amusement, occasionally stealing a fry from her plate. She got up to throw the trash away and when she got back Elliot was watching a group of people. A smile lit up her features as she recognized them, and they both stood and ran over to them. "Devon, Reagan, what are you guys doing here?" Olivia questioned, and Reagan turned, placing a cap delicately on her head.

"Captain Reagan Masters will be piloting your non stop flight to New York." she said with a grin. Devon smiled and adjusted the two kids resting on each of his hips.

"I didn't know you were a pilot!" Olivia exclaimed, and Reagan nodded.

"You will come and visit us again, won't you?" Devon questioned, a pleading look in his eyes.

"Of course! As long as you come visit us in New York." Elliot answered, "I am glad they let you go."

"Oh, it was no big deal. I made bail and they found the shooting to be in defense of another. Plus, a few of my old FBI friends came in and helped get the process expedited." Devon replied, grinning broadly, "You didn't cause me too many problems, Detective. But you still owe me big time."

Elliot laughed and said, "Believe me, I know."

Devon sighed and stated, "Well, maybe someday you will be able to repay me. Doubtful, but it is possible." Elliot nodded seriously and Devon laughed, "Just kidding. I would do anything for a friend."

"Thanks."

A light buzzer sounded and Reagan glanced over at the boarding area. "Well, that's my cue. See you guys when we get to New York!" Reagan said to Elliot and Olivia. She turned and kissed Devon, then each of her kids. Then she scooted off onto the plane.

Devon gave both Olivia and Elliot a hug before they headed out. Olivia stopped just before boarding, glancing back at Devon, and especially the little boy Jonathan. He picked up his little hand in what could be interrupted as a wave, a smile lighting up his features. Olivia smiled back, thinking that though she had lost her son, perhaps there was some sort of consolation offered in day to day life. That perhaps she would see parts of little Elijah James when she least expected it. She turned away, stepping into the plane that would take her away from Colorado and the great mountains that had changed her life so much.

A/N #2: Well, just kidding… maybe that isn't the last chapter… but I will have to see how the epilogue works out. And I was wondering if I could get some feedback… as for the ending of this story, would you guys kill me if I had a really depressing ending (I have it written out… and I mean **seriously **depressing) or would that be okay? Please let me know….


	11. Epilogue

A/N: Whoa, thanks for all the feedback! I don't think my in box has ever been so full of reviews! Well, I spent a great deal of time pondering the ending (that's why it was soooooo slow in being posted!), and decided that I would just write and see what happened. So here it is, the entirely revamped ending to 'Redemption'.

Anyways, please please please please please review the story as a whole (okay, I admit it, I am begging!!!!) There could potentially be a sequel, but I haven't thought that far ahead yet… we will see… but for now, I feel this is a good conclusion…

It's been quite a pleasure writing this and I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have!

Olivia had fallen asleep on Elliot's shoulder, staying that way for most of the flight to New York. He fell asleep too, as they were both quite exhausted from their ordeal. The quiet dinging of the seatbelt sign roused Olivia from her slumber, and she got up and stretched out. Elliot woke slowly, opening his eyes hesitantly. They both glanced out the window, seeing the bright lights of New York twinkling far below. They were home at last.

The plane's wheels touched down to the runway and they were soon taxiing into the terminal. As they docked up Olivia undid her seatbelt, jumping to her feet and hauling out her and Elliot's bags so quickly she nearly dropped them on the people in front of them. Elliot snatched up his from her before she could do any real damage and smiled. They were the first people off the plane, Olivia practically running down the ramp- though Olivia was not quite sure just why she was in such a rush. Elliot had grabbed their jackets and was lagging behind, so when he reached the end of the ramp it was quite a surprise.

"Mommy!" Riley shrieked, wriggling herself out of William's grasp. She raced over to Olivia, her arms widespread. Olivia grinned broadly and scooped her up.

"Hey sweetheart! How are you doing?" Olivia questioned her, and Riley looked back at her with Elliot's brilliant blue eyes.

"Good. I missed you though. Are you okay?" Riley questioned, running her hand gently across the fading bruise on Olivia's jaw.

"Yes. I am much better now." Olivia answered, hugging Riley tightly. Riley hugged her back and then looked up.

"Daddy!" She exclaimed, though she didn't let go her mother. Elliot laid one hand on Olivia's back, and with the other ruffled his daughter's hair.

"Well, are you just not going to say hi to us?" questioned the voice of John Munch. Olivia looked up and for the first time noticed that they had quite the welcoming committee for it being well after midnight.

"Hi." said Olivia, wiping her eyes slightly. ADA Casey Novak smiled over at her, looking the healthiest she had in months. Doctor William had his hand on her shoulder, being extra protective of her. ADA Alex Cabot and her husband were standing right next to them, both seeming quite relieved to see her back. Detectives Munch and Tutuola were sitting on the airport chairs, both failing miserably to conceal their happiness. And Captain Cragen walked over, patting Olivia's shoulder gently.

"Good to have you back, Olivia."

Elliot's arm tightened on her waist and she leaned her head up against him. "It's good to be back." Olivia replied.

Suddenly Elliot backed away and said, "Reagan! Where do you think you are going?"

Reagan turned back around, having made her way a good distance from the group. "Oh. I didn't want to interrupt." She said, flushing slightly.

"Nonsense." Elliot said, taking her arm and leading her back over. "Everyone, this is Captain Reagan Masters."

Everyone greeted her warmly and soon she was deep in conversation with Captain Cragen. Just as Elliot began to feel a little sad that a certain four people were missing, a familiar voice made him turn.

"Hey dad! Good to see you again!" Elliot looked up and saw Kathleen and Maureen hurrying over with the twins in tow. "Hey Olivia! Are you doing okay? I saw that tape of you on the news, God, hitting that table looked like it hurt!" Kathleen said as she hugged her dad and then stepmom.

"They played that tape here?!" exclaimed Olivia, turning bright red.

Kathleen and the other children nodded. "Don't worry about it Olivia, you are a good dancer." Maureen said, smiling at her, "Not too mention the fact that the majority of New York was very concerned about you. Virtually every day you were gone they would mention something on the news about you."

Olivia was now quite embarrassed at the excess amount of attention being paid to her, and Elliot gave her a gentle squeeze on the shoulder. She slowly lowered Riley to the ground, who immediately trotted over to Elizabeth.

"I don't think we could have asked for a better return." Olivia said quietly to Elliot.

"That's for sure."

After a good half hour of socializing at the gate, they finally made their way over to baggage claim. Reagan seized her suitcase and smiled at them. "Well it was nice to meet you all. I had better head to my hotel."

Reagan's eyes widened in surprise as everyone in unison replied, "You can stay with me!"

Olivia was the first to recover from laughing and said, "No really, when does your flight leave tomorrow?"

"Eleven tomorrow night. I get an extra long layover because I am flying to London. It's my first international trip since I had the twins." Reagan answered.

"Well then it's settled, stay with us over night." Elliot said, "We would love to return the hospitality you gave us."

Reagan smiled broadly, "It was no problem. I was glad we could be of help."

Two Months Later

Olivia impatiently sat on the examination table, tapping her hands along her knees. Doctor Swanson finally reappeared, looking slightly less unhappy than at her past few appointments. He had been absolutely livid that she had gone on an undercover mission so soon after her accident, and had gotten the reports faxed over from Doctor Ryder of her injuries in Colorado. Olivia had done her best to please him, following his strict orders to be on desk duty since her return. "So, how I am doing?" she questioned him eagerly.

He smiled and replied, "Well, your rib fractures have healed and your heart's doing great. So you can go back to limited field work for a couple weeks, then at the end of this month, you are good to go." Olivia jumped off the table in delight and gave him a hug. As she was grabbing her jacket to walk out, a surprised looking Doctor Swanson stopped her. "Oh, and Olivia…"

Elliot was waiting for Olivia in the waiting room, having just gotten out of his own appointment. He noticed that Olivia was grinning slyly and asked, "So how did it go?"

Olivia laughed and as they walked out to the door said, "Well I can go back to the field… and Doctor Swanson informed me that I am now healthy enough to resume sexual activity."

Elliot nearly choked laughing. When he finally regained some amount of control he said, "Oops… I guess I kind of got a little ahead of myself with you then? Maybe, to make up for it I will be good for a whole month." Her glare silenced him and he smirked. "Just kidding, dearest."

"Shut up, Elliot. Like your Doctor wanted you to do anything right after you got shot."

"Actually, he told me I would be fine… in two weeks." Elliot said.

"Oh well, I will follow a strict hands off policy until then! Don't want to mess up your treatment." Olivia said, and Elliot's eyes widened in panic. "Just kidding."

Elliot looked visibly relieved, and threw her the keys to their new Suburban. Olivia caught them deftly and opened the doors of the big SUV. She climbed up into the seat and put the keys into the ignition. Suddenly Elliot caught her hand. He didn't say anything, only smiled at her. Olivia ran her hand down his cheek and then pulled away, shifting the SUV into drive.

Cragen glanced over as his two best Detectives walked in. "Hey you two. How did the Doc's go?"

"Great. We can both get back in the field." Elliot responded, sitting down at his desk and propping his feet up on it. Olivia stood just behind him, her hands resting lightly on the back of his chair.

Cragen smiled and said, "Welcome back." With that he tossed a file onto the desk. Elliot picked it up, glanced over it, and then handed it to Olivia. As she read it over Cragen continued, "Seventeen year old girl was raped when walking home from work. She is still in the hospital and is completely terrified of men. So I thought maybe you could take her statement." He looked meaningfully at Olivia. "You up for it?"

"Of course. Let's go El." Olivia said, slapping him gently on his good shoulder. Elliot jumped to his feet, handing Olivia her jacket.

"Take care." Cragen said as they walked out.

The partners turned and smiled back at the Captain. "Will do."

When they walked back out to the car Elliot took Olivia by surprise, pressing her up against the door in a sudden rush of emotion. He pressed her lips to his, running one hand through her hair. She wrapped her arms around his waist and felt him part her lips gently. Olivia slid her hand up his chest, pulling away reluctantly.

"We can pick this up as soon as we get home." She said, tracing her hand down his jaw. He smiled at her, taking her face in his hands.

"I love you, Liv."

"I love you too, El."

He responded by kissing her forehead.

Elliot waited outside Samantha's room while Olivia went inside. She walked over and saw the young girl lying wide awake in her bed, severely bruised and scraped. "Hello Samantha. My name's Olivia, I am going to be the Detective on your case. My partner is outside, but he won't come in unless you want him too, okay?" Olivia said, sitting down beside the girl's bed.

Samantha nodded and sat up. "Is he nice?"

"Very. But he doesn't have to come in; I can take your statement alone." Olivia answered.

"No, he can come in." Samantha said, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"Are you sure?" Olivia asked, and she nodded firmly. Olivia got up and walked over to the door. "Elliot, she says you can come in."

Elliot walked in and smiled tenderly at the girl. "Hey Samantha." She gave him a wavering smile in return, but looked a little more at ease.

By the end of the interview, Samantha was a complete wreck. When she started to go into detail on how he had used a wrench on her, she stopped talking completely and just cried. Olivia got up and hugged the girl gently. Samantha tightened her arms around her, sobbing onto her shoulder. Elliot placed his hand onto the girl's back, gently rubbing it. After a while Samantha regained her composure enough to finish.

"Alright honey, we are done. Thank you so much. Get some rest, okay?" Olivia said as she stood to leave.

Samantha nodded and then said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lose it like that."

Elliot put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it, sweetheart. You did great." Samantha smiled at him, the first real smile she had had all night. Then she looked at Olivia.

"You were right. He is nice."

As they walked out of the hospital Olivia looked over at Elliot. He glanced back at her with the quite clear look that they were going to have to pull another late night. But there was no regret in their gazes. It was, after all, what they dedicated their lives to- helping the victims. Instead, their eyes held a distinct sense of joy that they were not alone in that dedication. They had each other, and when it came down to it, that was all that really mattered. As Kathy's father had so eloquently put it, they truly were partners in every sense on the word.

**The End**


End file.
